At the end of the day, I’d rather have a working heater and a slightly visible patch than freeze with perfect walls. Priorities, right?
Totally get this. I used to obsess over making every drywall patch invisible, but after chasing my own tail for hours (and still seeing the seams in certain light), I just gave up caring so much. The “vintage charm” excuse is underrated.
Had a similar heater issue last winter—thermostat was basically just a wall decoration. Turned out to be a loose wire at the furnace end, not even at the stat itself. Took me way too long to figure out because I kept assuming it was the thermostat or the wiring in the wall. Ended up pulling off a chunk of baseboard and, like you said, it was glued on with layers of old paint... that was a whole project by itself.
Curious if anyone’s ever tried those wireless thermostats? I keep seeing ads but can’t decide if they’re worth it or just another thing to troubleshoot when things go sideways.