What gas codes am I violating?

[HowToLou]

I built a direct vent gas fireplace in my kitchen. I used all safe materials, such as firebrick, steel, and ceramic glass. I also used a safety pilot valve supply the gas, and a shutoff valve beyond that. I used standard b-vent pipe to exhaust to my chimney. I have been using the fireplace for weeks and have not burned my house down.

I posted this in another forum and was pounced on by a gas fitter. He said I had violated several codes, but would not tell me what he thought I did wrong. If you just want to call me a reckless idiot, and not help, please don't reply. I have had enough of that. If you know gas codes, and can tell me some concrete issues I can fix, so I will pass a gas inspection, please help. Thank you. Here is the link to what I did:

 

[frodo]

no tar paper
no wire mesh
no scratch coat
no fire brick
no refectory mortar
no 2 hour fire wall separation
no 2'' clearance from combustible
no air mix
no regulator
no orifice
inadequate fresh air

 

[KULTULZ]

If you know gas codes, and can tell me some concrete issues I can fix, so I will pass a gas inspection, please help.

Not judging or b!tching, but...

Why didn't you ask all of this before building or better yet, go to your local authority and ask? NOW you are concerned with an inspection?

 

[HowToLou]

no tar paper
no wire mesh
no scratch coat
no fire brick
no refectory mortar
no 2 hour fire wall separation
no 2'' clearance from combustible
no air mix
no regulator
no orifice
inadequate fresh air

Thanks for this list. I love your tagline: Just call me Macgyver

Isn't tar paper only required outside as a moisture barrier?

I used construction adhesive instead of wire mesh and scratch coat.

I did use fire brick

I did use refractory mortar

There is firebrick, air and plaster. Is that 2 hours?

There is more than 2 inches from all combustibles everywhere

There is an air inlet pipe. What is mix?

I can add a regulator. What is its purpose?

I drilled orifices in the pipe. What do you mean by "no orifice"?

Direct vent fireplaces have one air inlet for combustion air and I have that. What do you mean by inadequate fresh air?

Thanks,
Lou

 

[HowToLou]

Not judging or b!tching, but...

Why didn't you ask all of this before building or better yet, go to your local authority and ask? NOW you are concerned with an inspection?

Because I am a reckless idiot.

 

[frodo]

you see your yellow gas flame? it is supposed to be blue

the burner you made is better off used as a grab bar in a bathroom.

you need a regulator on your gas line. you need a correct sized orafice for either lp or nat

they do not use the same one, and there is no air mix port

take out your home made, and go buy a kit.

have a licensed plumber install it

 

[HowToLou]

you see your yellow gas flame? it is supposed to be blue

the burner you made is better off used as a grab bar in a bathroom.

you need a regulator on your gas line. you need a correct sized orafice for either lp or nat

they do not use the same one, and there is no air mix port

take out your home made, and go buy a kit.

have a licensed plumber install it

Thank you.

I can get blue flame, but then you can't see them. I want yellow flames like you get from wood, so I closed down the air inlet (mix, sort of) until they went yellow. I know blue is the most efficient, but I am going for pretty. Yeah, I can add a NG regulator. So your main suggestion for me, at this point, is that I should buy a NG burner and valve set for gas logs, rather than making my own. Thanks I will look into those.

 

[phishfood]

The very first code you violated was installing a gas appliance without a permit.
The gas appliance must be listed with the appropriate agency.
There is no way of telling what the BTU capacity of the appliance is, so there is no way to determine if the room has sufficient capacity to supply it with combustion air. I could keep on going, but there is no real reason to. Remove what you have, it is dangerous.

Really, if you don't know what a regulator is, you certainly shouldn't be manufacturing a gas fireplace.

Please pull your video from the web, before someone else who doesn't know any better tries to follow your example.

 

[Deerslayer]

Not to mention you have no safeties on the appliance!

What happens if the fire goes out, say the gas gets cut off momentarily and flame is extinguished but gas comes back on.

Do yourself a favor, stay away from the trade before you kill someone or even worse. There is a reason plumbing requires a license, it's so people like you can't kill unsuspecting victims.

 

[HowToLou]

The very first code you violated was installing a gas appliance without a permit.
The gas appliance must be listed with the appropriate agency.
There is no way of telling what the BTU capacity of the appliance is, so there is no way to determine if the room has sufficient capacity to supply it with combustion air. I could keep on going, but there is no real reason to. Remove what you have, it is dangerous.

Really, if you don't know what a regulator is, you certainly shouldn't be manufacturing a gas fireplace.

Please pull your video from the web, before someone else who doesn't know any better tries to follow your example.

Ok, just so I understand. If someone builds fireplace and puts a gas log set in it, they need a permit to run the gas line to the logs? Is that what you are saying? And the logs need to be listed somewhere? Do you mean like UL listed?

I am pulling my combustion air from outside the house. I did not show where I connected that air pipe. It is a direct vent fireplace and does not pull any combustion air from the room. Since that is not an issue, please do keep going on. I want to make sure I fix everything.

Oh, and sorry. I did not mean to give the impression that I did not know what I regulator was. I understand what they are and how they work. I was just wondering why you need to regulate, in this case. The regulator at the meter takes the pressure down to a few PSI. I have a wood fireplace with a gas starter and it does not have a regulator. Should gas appliances be fed by even less PSI than comes in from the meter? Why is that? It seems I can turn the gas down as low as I want, without a regulator. How does it help exactly?

Thanks,
Lou

 

[Deerslayer]

Ok, just so I understand. If someone builds fireplace and puts a gas log set in it, they need a permit to run the gas line to the logs? Is that what you are saying? And the logs need to be listed somewhere? Do you mean like UL listed?

I am pulling my combustion air from outside the house. I did not show where I connected that air pipe. It is a direct vent fireplace and does not pull any combustion air from the room. Since that is not an issue, please do keep going on. I want to make sure I fix everything.

Thanks,
Lou

If you want to fix everything then remove it and hire a pro. Thus is like performing abortions or dentistry on the side in the garage, it's just plain wrong, you have no clue how wrong because you don't have a flipping clue what your doing yet you keep trying to justify it.

 

[johnlewismcleod]

Gas appliances need to be submitted to Underwriters Laboratories for testing and be proven to meet safety standards before being allowed to be sold to the public. This requires engineering expertise and fabrication standards that must be met.

There is more to the testing, development, and manufacturing process than just that, of course...but you seem like a man with a good brain (although minimum common sense)...so I'm sure you can easily imagine that you're not going to meet the minimum safety standards of a gas appliance without any engineering or plumbing training or experience.

Now, given that you must also realize that gas appliances that do not meet minimum safety standards can kill people, how can you possibly think that fabricating your own gas appliance and installing it your house is a good idea?

How can you post "How to" videos about making a dangerous device like for public consumption without remorse?

You are a public menace, Lou.

Seriously...you need to cease and desist before you kill someone and go to jail.

 

[havasu]

I have been trying to wrap my head around this fabrication and trust me, I really tried to appreciate what appeared to be a pretty cool project, however there is no place for this on our forum. This entire build is extremely dangerous and I will be locking this thread. I would also hope you have a great attorney, because the first person who gets injured or dies as a result of your informational video will undoubtedly sue the pants off of you.

Carbon monoxide is toxic (even deadly) at high levels and causes long-term health problems at low levels. Nitrogen dioxide, at even minute levels, may affect our immune systems and increase our susceptibility to respiratory infections. An oxygen depletion sensor (ODS) on unvented gas heaters and fireplaces shuts off the gas flow if the oxygen level drops below 18% (an indicator that not enough fresh air is getting into the house), but the ODS does not detect carbon monoxide or other hazardous emissions.
The second problem with venting combustion products indoors is that even the “clean” combustion products aren’t so good to introduce into our homes in large quantities. High levels of carbon dioxide make us feel drowsy and may cause eye irritation. Large quantities of water vapor released into our houses will raise the humidity level and can result in condensation on windows, concrete slabs, or areas of wall with “thermal bridges” through them. This moisture can result in mold growth, induce allergies and asthma among homeowners, and cause rot. The tighter the house, the greater the risk. A 30,000 Btu/hour unvented gas heater will produce about a third of a gallon of water per hour — about seven gallons per day if operated around the clock.
One should get an inkling that unvented gas heaters and fireplaces aren’t so good by reading the warning labels that come with them — suggesting that a window be opened during operation, that they not be operated for more than four hours at a time, and that they not be used as a primary heating system. Are those recommendations really going to be followed?
That unvented gas and kerosene appliances are a bad idea is no secret. A lot of scientists and health professionals have long argued that they don’t make sense. Our publication, Environmental Building News, and other publications such as Energy Design Update and Home Energy have argued for years that such appliances should, in fact, be banned by building codes.


Read more: http://www.greenbuildingadvisor.com...ions/avoid-unvented-gas-heaters#ixzz4SmgPqz2k
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