Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire Gas questions

AT the place I hunt we have natural gas. That feeds two heaters, a hot water heater and a stove. The main had issues and when they fixed it they inspected the houses in the area. On our place,since they couldn't get in, they padlocked the meter. Well, some of our guys went down and finding the padlock, cut it off. Then when they went down another time, finding the lock back on, cut it off too. The last time they went down they found the meter gone.

Here are the issues:

1) There is no way that place will pass inspection. with all that pipe running all over and it being so old I don't see that happening.
2) The hot water tank is not vented properly. It simply goes through the wall. But with the old place being so leaky it has never been
an issue, you never smell anything.
3) The main heater is a floor model that is about 4-1/2 feet long, 3 feet high and 20 inches deep. I don't know if it is tagged out
because it doesn't have a shutoff valve or because it does not have a control. It has a pilot but you move a valve to increase or
decrease the fire

Some of the fix is simple. Simply run a 3/4 inch line from the meter down the center of the house and take 1/2" taps off of it. All of those appliances are not going to over run a 3/4" pipe because they don't add up to the 365,000 BTU capacity.

The hot water heater, I'm not running a vent pipe up 4 stories outside the building. Change that to electric at a cost of $425.

But that heater: Did they tag it because of no shut off valve or no control. I can't see it needing a control since a gas fireplace doesn't. It's a heater not a furnace.

Thoughts?

Propane....

The expenditure on that would be high. That and such things would likely walk away. The place is about 2500 square feet.


By the way, the gas company says they owe them $500 for cutting off the locks and something else.

It was stupid to cut the lock off. Call them, see what you need to do to get right with them. You may have to get a licensed Plumber.

Maybe a few lives were saved,

Bull dozier

Cutting the locks was a mistake.

Just need to suck up to the gas company and put in a new line.

Cheaper in the long run.

"Some of our guys" ? Cut locks on ulitity services?

They'd be fast out of the club, off the lease, etc. Let them pay what it takes to make nicey with the gas company in order to keep their standing.

Does sound like a goat screw of banjo work of lines.


A code inspectors wet dream.

Heat with wood. Heat water on the wood stove and take a PTA bath (Pecker, teats, and ass).

Four stories? Interesting hunting shack.

Good luck with it all.

Geno

Buy electric space heaters, no explosions and the fire is contained to one room if you keep the doors closed.

Anyone who hunts where there's a gas utility running to the "cabin", aren't hunting far enough off the grid.

This sounds like a lot of hassle for a hunt camp situation. In the places I tend to hunt, the only available natural gas emanates from the anal orifices of elk/deer/bear/a human or two and maybe some cows. It seems as though that hunting camp, and maybe some of those who use the place, may be diminishing the overall value of the idea - and maybe the hunt..

Actually it was a motel and bar at one time. Built around 1890 or so, these guys bought it in the 80's.

The basement back is open because it's on a hill. The basement, two floors and the height of the pitched roof, 4 stories.

I wouldn't hunt with people that stupid.

Very lucky the guys that cut the locks weren't arrested for destruction of utility property and reckless endangerment. They should be made pay all fines and reconnect charges or kicked out of the club. That was just plain wrong.

I retract my statement of a bull dozier .

Get some C4 or dynamite instead.

Codes vary from state to state but here locally heating with the old style free-standing type gas 'floor' heaters (as what sounds like you described) are highly discouraged at best (if allowed at all) nowadays, plus, any still heating with them are subject to possible significant homeowner's insurance premium increases or even cancellations.

Also, manufacturers of gas water heaters have had to make a bunch of federally mandated safety design changes, as well.

You may want to consider looking into doing some things different.

I'm trying to figure out why they tagged that heater out. It does not have a shut off valve on the line, I get that, but there is more. The heater has a pilot but that pilot is not controlled by a valve nor does it have a thermocouple.

I think you answered your ownquestion.If there is no thermocouple,what shuts the gas off if the pilot goes out?
Just buy a newer htr ,get everything up to code and be safe.

It's looking like electric baseboard is the way to go.