Posted: 4/10/2015 12:09:47 AM EDT
| I was there today checking it out with the home inspector, we won't be moving in for a few more weeks so I was hesitant to mess with it too much. I'm also going to look into getting the top two rows of brick on the mantle removed so I have more room for my TV. Not sure how involved that is yet. |
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Very common type in Kansas City. Your correct. Turn key and light using a grill lighter. Start by just turning it a little bit to get the gas flowing and then light it. Crank the gas key up to adjust the height of the flame. Always make sure the flue or whatever is open first lol
ETA- some new ones have a push button electronic starter like on some gas grills. |
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I wouldn't mount the TV above the fireplace. The heat can possibly damage the TV. You also might not have to remove the brick if you choose to put a TV up there.
They make adjustable TV wall mounts that can be angled side to side. Those TV mounts usually have the TV sitting off the wall by about 4-5 inches anyway. The brick mantle might just tuck behind the TV with no problem. |
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Quoted:
I wouldn't mount the TV above the fireplace. The heat can possibly damage the TV. You also might not have to remove the brick if you choose to put a TV up there. They make adjustable TV wall mounts that can be angled side to side. Those TV mounts usually have the TV sitting off the wall by about 4-5 inches anyway. The brick mantle might just tuck behind the TV with no problem. I've been thinking about the heat. We would probably run the fireplace just a couple times a year for decor like on Christmas. I figure if I pulled off two rows of brick then extended outward a little with a wood mantle it would help keep the heat from going straight up at the TV. I'd told the wife that the TV would probably just sit over the brick but she didn't like the idea. It would be far cheaper to do it that way also. Right now our TV is a 46". I'd like to get a new tv around 60-65" though which could be more difficult to get up there and look right that close to the ceiling. |
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Quoted:
Very common type in Kansas City. Your correct. Turn key and light using a grill lighter. Start by just turning it a little bit to get the gas flowing and then light it. Crank the gas key up to adjust the height of the flame. Always make sure the flue or whatever is open first lol ETA- some new ones have a push button electronic starter like on some gas grills. Awesome. I was hoping it would be something simple like that. My current fireplace turns on by wall switch and has a pilot light and sensors and valves etc so I just wasn't sure. Thanks for the info. |
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I had one in NC that looked the same. There's a pilot that has has a thermo sensor. You turn on the gas with the key and then light the pilot, ensuring the the thermo sensor is warm. Gas flows and it's essentially a bbq grill flame on high.
Mine was in a real fireplace and we lost much more heat that we gained up the chimney. After a year of that nonsense I ripped that shit out and put in a fireplace insert with blowers. That mamma jamma heated the entire house through the winter on about 4 cords of good hardwood. EDIT: there's a pilot and a sensor in there some where. It's code and the sensor is there to shut the gas off in case the flame goes out. If you can't find it you should have a pro come check it out. |
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Quoted:
I was there today checking it out with the home inspector, we won't be moving in for a few more weeks so I was hesitant to mess with it too much. I'm also going to look into getting the top two rows of brick on the mantle removed so I have more room for my TV. Not sure how involved that is yet. You may want to check out the matches with long handles. IIRC they're great for stoves & fireplaces. And ... why do people love putting TVs above fireplaces - especially fireplaces they intend to use? |
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Quoted: I've been thinking about the heat. We would probably run the fireplace just a couple times a year for decor like on Christmas. I figure if I pulled off two rows of brick then extended outward a little with a wood mantle it would help keep the heat from going straight up at the TV. I'd told the wife that the TV would probably just sit over the brick but she didn't like the idea. It would be far cheaper to do it that way also. Right now our TV is a 46". I'd like to get a new tv around 60-65" though which could be more difficult to get up there and look right that close to the ceiling. Quoted: Quoted: I wouldn't mount the TV above the fireplace. The heat can possibly damage the TV. You also might not have to remove the brick if you choose to put a TV up there. They make adjustable TV wall mounts that can be angled side to side. Those TV mounts usually have the TV sitting off the wall by about 4-5 inches anyway. The brick mantle might just tuck behind the TV with no problem. I've been thinking about the heat. We would probably run the fireplace just a couple times a year for decor like on Christmas. I figure if I pulled off two rows of brick then extended outward a little with a wood mantle it would help keep the heat from going straight up at the TV. I'd told the wife that the TV would probably just sit over the brick but she didn't like the idea. It would be far cheaper to do it that way also. Right now our TV is a 46". I'd like to get a new tv around 60-65" though which could be more difficult to get up there and look right that close to the ceiling. I have a similar configuration, and put a mantle up about 18in over the fireplace. We light it up a few times per year. Works great. I was thinking about building a nice hardwood mantle myself. Then I found some guy making/selling them for about $150 on Ebay. The materials alone would have cost me about half that. |
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That looks like a prefab fireplace with a set of vented gas logs installed in it
The burner was I stslked where the log lighter was There are no safety mechanisms or pilot The door at the bottom does not swing out You just turn in the gas and light after opening the flue The flue needs to be completely open Somewhere on the black part of the fireplace will be a metal info tag riveted on It will have the year if manufacturer, make and model You should be able to google up an owners manual In the manual it will give the mantle specifics as far as how far out it can project based upon how far away from the top of the opening it is You should also be able to get a small hood that fits over the top of the opening to decrease the requirement |
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It's a match light
There are too many fake logs in there Its going to soot up if you run it much It burns about 60k BTU's If you forget to open the flue and run it you will take a long nap, make sure there's not a board on top of the chimney Run it once in while, if the wall valve dries up and leaks there is no isolation valve, so your meter will have to be shut off to stop it. |
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Quoted:
Very common type in Kansas City. Your correct. Turn key and light using a grill lighter. Start by just turning it a little bit to get the gas flowing and then light it. Crank the gas key up to adjust the height of the flame. Always make sure the flue or whatever is open first lol ETA- some new ones have a push button electronic starter like on some gas grills. This is correct. I would also make sure the knockout hole where the gas line comes thru the fireplace wall is sealed and there is not a gap where an ember could get thru there. It should have been sealed by the installer but sometimes they miss it. Hard to tell in the photo. |
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Putting the TV over the fireplace isn't my first choice, but due to the layout of the room I'm very limited on where it can go. Either above the fireplace or to the left at an angle in the corner. I think that looks a lot worse.
So it sounds like this fireplace while not unusual and fairly simple to use, could also be a deathtrap. For the record the house was built in '88 |