More Cold Weather Plumbing Fun

So... another week of spending $$ to avoid going down like woolly mammoths.
The boiler stopped working so the heat went out so the pipes froze again.
You'll just have to take my word for it that it was a total blast.
Anyway, the good news is that we didn't have to replace the boiler which would be a total financial nightmare, we just had to get new circulator pumps and other awesome stuff like that. Seriously, the next time I spend that much money there had better be at least one pair of fabulous boots in the back seat of my car.
There were three different people holding blow torches or heat guns at various points around the house until things suddenly started moving again. Drama.

But that's not the worst part. We now have a mystery smell going on in the basement which is causing me to contemplate suicide.
Please don't post a ton of comments about how poor air quality or exposure to sewer gasses could kill me and my little dog too. I'm all too clear.
Welcome to little outhouse on the f'n prairie.
Anyway it's unconnected with the last problem, but I think it might have something to do with the freezing weather, maybe a drain somewhere does not go where it is supposed to and we've been blissfully unaware until the ground froze. Who knows? I can tell you that it is not a dry drain, or an uncapped drain. We've been through all that.
We have plumber number three coming tomorrow. Two others "solved" it already.
Update: third plumber has no idea.
But here's a hint of the magnitude of the problem - we have found zero, I repeat zero vent stacks.
That's right, no venting anywhere.
yeah...I know.

Stuff No One But Me Will Ever Care About

This top pic is how our electricity looks now....
I wish I'd taken a before pic but if you expand this one you can catch a glimpse of the horror show that was there before. Chester said that just being in the basement gave him the heebie-jeebies. If you could see this guy you'd guess he doesn't get those too often. So yeah, now the house isn't gonna burn down. So there's that.

Cleaned Out Basement

Check it out. I know you are all jealous as hell. Cause what's more exciting than a semi empty basement? Actually, for most New Yorkers this is nothing short of Real Estate porn. So take a niiiiiiiiiice looooooooooong look.
ps: two cool things that came with the house - that green farm cabinet on the right and a really cute kitchen table on the left.