Sabtu, 27 Juli 2013

Can I burn wood in my gas fireplace?

carbon monoxide detectors solid fuel on New cem gd-3300 combustible gas leak detector
carbon monoxide detectors solid fuel image



MthrNature


I live in a house built in 2003. The fire place has never been used. Today I had a plumber install what looks like a tube with holes connected to a gas line. it produces many little flames across the fireplace. My plumber said that this will be used to light the wood and then I turn the gas off. I asked him a few times "are you sure this fireplace is meant for wood and not those fake gas logs?" He said I could do either.

I'm perplexed. For the life of me I never heard of a dual fireplace. I don't know how to assess the situation. Honestly, I'd love to burn wood in my new house! It has a metal rack for the wood, a chain screen, and a glass enclosure just like other fireplaces. I'm nervous though. The last thing I need are dead family members or a burned down house, or smoke damage, etc.

It is 2011...My house is 2003. It is a tract home neighborhood. How do I find out definitively if I can burn wood. If I can't do what can I do to make those little blue flames look like and warm like a wood fire?



Answer
First of all you should have carbon monoxide detectors in your home.

There are two very similar appliances with two very different applications. It sounds like your plumber has installed a LOG LIGHTER fireplace. You should have a control valve or "key valve " that you use to turn on the gas while lighting the burner. On a log lighter fireplace the valve would normally be located outside of the fireplace. This type of fireplace can be used with a fake log set or can be used to light wood fires and then the gas can be shut off.

A typical GAS LOG ( fake log ) fireplace may or may not have a key valve outside the fireplace but will have either a manual ( turn the knob ) valve or a millivolt ( flip the switch ) valve, with the valve normally located in the fireplace. This type can NOT be used with solid fuel ( wood or anything other than gas ).

The main difference being the type and location of the control valve.

log lighter:
valve is a simple on off valve, gas on, gas off. and is normally outside the fireplace.

gas log set:
valve has a pilot light for easy ignition and pilot safety function that automatically shuts the gas off in the event of a flame outage.
The control valve is normally located inside the fireplace.
Pilot safety control valves have heat tolerances that burning solid fuel will quickly exceed, causing damage to the valve and possible safety concerns.

By the way, it is not unusual for a plumber to be a licensed gas piper, it is just a different type of plumbing after all. Make sure yours is and follow his advice!




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