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OT - gas fireplace question (kinda long)



 
 
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  #1  
Old March 22nd 04, 07:33 PM
Denise VanDyke
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Default OT - gas fireplace question (kinda long)

I am coming to the group of all knowledge with a question. I have
limited experience with gas fireplaces, mostly with the newer ones. A
friend of mine recently had an unfortunate learning experience with the
fireplace in his apartment, and I'm trying to figure out just how much
of a dunce he had to be.

1) Gas fireplaces with a "key" to turn on the gas - are these mostly the
older models, or do the newer ones also have these?
2) Is there an obvious lever, pull-chain, or other mechanism to use for
opening the flue in the chimney?
3) Don't the fake logs come standard with gas fireplaces?

Here's what happened. Friend decided that it would be romantic to have
a fire in the fireplace. His gf was in the kitchen making cocoa to sip
by the romantic fire. Suddenly she heard a "whoomp" in the living room.
Upon entering, she found him sprawled out on the floor, his glasses
on the other side of the room (broken), and a Prestolog (!!!) burning in
the fireplace. He instructed her to turn the gas off at the "key". She
did. As the room started filling with smoke (he failed to open the
flue) the smoke alarm went off. She went to remove the battery to make
it quiet. Learned that the smoke detectors are hard-wired into the
electrical system. She threw water on the Prestolog to try to
extinguish it. Learned that water does not extinguish burning
Prestologs. He told her where to find the fire extinguisher. She used
it to put out the fire. Now they were sitting in a room partially
filled with smoke and fire extinguisher residue. He went upstairs to
clean up and see how badly his face was burned. Came back down and said
he couldn't feel parts of his face. They now know where the closest
Emergency Room is in their town. They also learned that the ER is in
teaching hospital in a neighborhood where blond, blue-eyed white people
are in the extreme minority, and that the ER has a metal detector at the
door and bullet-proof glass at the desk. Also that injured people do
not necessarily have to stop and empty their pockets at the metal
detector. Turns out that he has first and second degree burns on his
face - and will be quite embarrased when he hears from all of his
friends about this. ;-)

For those not familiar with Prestologs, they are compressed sawdust logs.

- Denise (owned and manipulated by Brenna)


  #2  
Old March 22nd 04, 07:47 PM
Jo Firey
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Posts: n/a
Default


"Denise VanDyke" wrote in message
...
I am coming to the group of all knowledge with a question. I have
limited experience with gas fireplaces, mostly with the newer ones. A
friend of mine recently had an unfortunate learning experience with the
fireplace in his apartment, and I'm trying to figure out just how much
of a dunce he had to be.

1) Gas fireplaces with a "key" to turn on the gas - are these mostly the
older models, or do the newer ones also have these?


Many years ago we had a gas log and you turned a lever and then lit the
burner. Only lost my eyebrows once.

2) Is there an obvious lever, pull-chain, or other mechanism to use for
opening the flue in the chimney?


IF the fireplace has a flue and a chimney. And in ours it isn't so obvious.
We have a hard time remembering from season to season which is on and which
is off. A fireplace for a gas log only does not smoke and is vented
differently to clear out fumes.

So it depends. If it was designed for gas only he was a huge idiot to try
to burn anythin in it. If the gas was intended to use to start a wood fire
he was only a major idiot.

3) Don't the fake logs come standard with gas fireplaces?


No. And the might have been there once and been removed. Question, was
there a grate for logs in the fireplace?

Here's what happened. Friend decided that it would be romantic to have
a fire in the fireplace. His gf was in the kitchen making cocoa to sip
by the romantic fire. Suddenly she heard a "whoomp" in the living room.
Upon entering, she found him sprawled out on the floor, his glasses
on the other side of the room (broken), and a Prestolog (!!!) burning in
the fireplace. He instructed her to turn the gas off at the "key". She
did. As the room started filling with smoke (he failed to open the
flue) the smoke alarm went off. She went to remove the battery to make
it quiet. Learned that the smoke detectors are hard-wired into the
electrical system. She threw water on the Prestolog to try to
extinguish it. Learned that water does not extinguish burning
Prestologs. He told her where to find the fire extinguisher. She used
it to put out the fire. Now they were sitting in a room partially
filled with smoke and fire extinguisher residue. He went upstairs to
clean up and see how badly his face was burned. Came back down and said
he couldn't feel parts of his face. They now know where the closest
Emergency Room is in their town. They also learned that the ER is in
teaching hospital in a neighborhood where blond, blue-eyed white people
are in the extreme minority, and that the ER has a metal detector at the
door and bullet-proof glass at the desk. Also that injured people do
not necessarily have to stop and empty their pockets at the metal
detector. Turns out that he has first and second degree burns on his
face - and will be quite embarrased when he hears from all of his
friends about this. ;-)

For those not familiar with Prestologs, they are compressed sawdust logs.

- Denise (owned and manipulated by Brenna)


Sending purrs for the injured.

And cat box scooping for whoever rented him the place without explaining how
things worked.

Jo




  #3  
Old March 22nd 04, 08:24 PM
StocksRus®
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default

Denise VanDyke wrote in news:405F3166.3020504
@NOSPAMopen.org:

I am coming to the group of all knowledge with a question. I have
limited experience with gas fireplaces, mostly with the newer ones. A
friend of mine recently had an unfortunate learning experience with the
fireplace in his apartment, and I'm trying to figure out just how much
of a dunce he had to be.

1) Gas fireplaces with a "key" to turn on the gas - are these mostly

the
older models, or do the newer ones also have these?
2) Is there an obvious lever, pull-chain, or other mechanism to use for
opening the flue in the chimney?
3) Don't the fake logs come standard with gas fireplaces?


Geez...while very funny, the guy is an idiot.

keys are typical of OLD gas fireplaces
if the fireplace is NOT ventless, there is a vent that goes to outside.
Sometimes turned on manually which is what I suspect given the key
Gas logs always come with the grate.
My ventless gas fireplaces are turned on by remote. Sorta cool if I'm
sitting across the room. BTW, Bonnie loves to lie in her kitty bed right
in front of it when it's on.


--
StocksRus®


  #4  
Old March 22nd 04, 08:40 PM
Denise VanDyke
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default

StocksRus® wrote:
Denise VanDyke wrote in
news:405F3166.3020504 @NOSPAMopen.org:

I am coming to the group of all knowledge with a question. I have
limited experience with gas fireplaces, mostly with the newer
ones. A friend of mine recently had an unfortunate learning
experience with the fireplace in his apartment, and I'm trying to
figure out just how much of a dunce he had to be.

1) Gas fireplaces with a "key" to turn on the gas - are these
mostly

the
older models, or do the newer ones also have these? 2) Is there an
obvious lever, pull-chain, or other mechanism to use for opening
the flue in the chimney? 3) Don't the fake logs come standard with
gas fireplaces?


Geez...while very funny, the guy is an idiot.

keys are typical of OLD gas fireplaces if the fireplace is NOT
ventless, there is a vent that goes to outside. Sometimes turned on
manually which is what I suspect given the key Gas logs always come
with the grate. My ventless gas fireplaces are turned on by remote.
Sorta cool if I'm sitting across the room. BTW, Bonnie loves to lie
in her kitty bed right in front of it when it's on.


Thanks for the info. Normally, he's fairly intelligent, but sometimes
he isn't very bright. I'm kind of hoping that the next time he comes
back to town to visit is in the summer to we have plenty of chances to
tease him. "Hey, want some charcoal for that gas grill?" ;-)

- Denise


  #5  
Old March 22nd 04, 08:40 PM
Sherry
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Posts: n/a
Default

Geez...while very funny, the guy is an idiot.


Weeelll, I wouldn't say he's an idiot. He probably just didn't have any
experience with gas fireplaces. I don't either, and I know that "whump" sound
very well from a terrible experience with a real fireplace/Christmas tree
mistake. I wasn't an idiot, really, I just had no idea that Christmas trees
exploded. Nobody got hurt, but I cracked the whole firelace. Just like our
"mistake", it sounds very lucky nobody got hurt.

Sherry
  #6  
Old March 22nd 04, 08:54 PM
Denise Van Dyke
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default

Jo Firey wrote:
"Denise VanDyke" wrote in message
...

I am coming to the group of all knowledge with a question. I have
limited experience with gas fireplaces, mostly with the newer ones.
A friend of mine recently had an unfortunate learning experience
with the fireplace in his apartment, and I'm trying to figure out
just how much of a dunce he had to be.

1) Gas fireplaces with a "key" to turn on the gas - are these
mostly the older models, or do the newer ones also have these?



Many years ago we had a gas log and you turned a lever and then lit
the burner. Only lost my eyebrows once.


2) Is there an obvious lever, pull-chain, or other mechanism to use
for opening the flue in the chimney?



IF the fireplace has a flue and a chimney. And in ours it isn't so
obvious. We have a hard time remembering from season to season which
is on and which is off. A fireplace for a gas log only does not
smoke and is vented differently to clear out fumes.

So it depends. If it was designed for gas only he was a huge idiot
to try to burn anythin in it. If the gas was intended to use to
start a wood fire he was only a major idiot.


3) Don't the fake logs come standard with gas fireplaces?



No. And the might have been there once and been removed. Question,
was there a grate for logs in the fireplace?

Here's what happened. Friend decided that it would be romantic to
have a fire in the fireplace. His gf was in the kitchen making
cocoa to sip by the romantic fire. Suddenly she heard a "whoomp"
in the living room.

snip story for brevity

For those not familiar with Prestologs, they are compressed sawdust
logs.

- Denise (owned and manipulated by Brenna)

Sending purrs for the injured.

And cat box scooping for whoever rented him the place without
explaining how things worked.

Jo

Thanks. He'd appreciate the purrs, as he is fond of animals. I don't
know for sure what kind of prior experience he had with gas fires, but
he's sure learned a few things from this experience.

- Denise


  #7  
Old March 23rd 04, 07:28 AM
EvelynVogtGamble(Divamanque)
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default



Denise VanDyke wrote:

I am coming to the group of all knowledge with a question. I have
limited experience with gas fireplaces, mostly with the newer ones. A
friend of mine recently had an unfortunate learning experience with the
fireplace in his apartment, and I'm trying to figure out just how much
of a dunce he had to be.

1) Gas fireplaces with a "key" to turn on the gas - are these mostly the
older models, or do the newer ones also have these?


Not sure what you mean by a "key" - something detachable, or just a
key-shaped switch? (Theres got to be SOME sort of "handle" for turning
on the gas, doesn't there?)

2) Is there an obvious lever, pull-chain, or other mechanism to use for
opening the flue in the chimney?


I think that rather depends upon whether it was a gas fire originally,
or was converted from a functional fireplace. (Although, IIRC, the only
two places I've lived that had fireplaces, there WAS no damper, the flue
was permanently open.)

3) Don't the fake logs come standard with gas fireplaces?


Not neccesarily - in any case you can purchase them separately, and one
place I lived had only the gas-pipe and a sort of burner arrangement -
the "logs" I had to buy for myself. They can be quite elaborate and
realistic, so prices vary enormously.

(hilarious story snipped)


For those not familiar with Prestologs, they are compressed sawdust logs.


.....And are NOT for use with a gas fire! The "logs" for those are
artificial, fireproof look-alikes - you aren't supposed to BURN anything
but gas in a gas-fireplace - at least not if the gas is turned on!
(Although some orignally functional fireplaces can still be used with
wood, you have to be careful to clean out the ashes before you use them
with gas.)
 




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