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.

You can't smell carbon monoxide. You just die peacefully.

Has insulation been added and the house weatherized in other ways over the years? Not many old buildings built back then did.

Heating with passive (no blowers) electric baseboard heat isn't real efficient but can do the job and best used to heat decently insulated/weatherized smaller houses with smaller rooms.

A plus of baseboard heat is each unit has a thermostat allowing control of temp for just that unit.

Depending on local utility cost though they can get expensive.

Also, unless it's already been done, you may be looking at upgrading wiring and circuit loads by switching to electric baseboard heat, too.

As always, YMMV.

Edit:The first house we bought was built in the mid-70s, had a 'passive' electric baseboard heater in each bedroom room, kitchen and living room (located on an outside wall beneath windows).

It was less than half the sq ft of the one you're dealing with now but adequately insulated and had double thermal pane windows. The kitchen and living room units were both 220v each, the bedroom units were 110 each. The water heater and cook stove were both electric, too, so our circuit panel had to be 200 amp minimum.

Codes do vary some, even from town to town if I'm not mistaken, but even Wyoming follows NFPA 58 (Outside the structure) and NFPA 54 (Inside the structure)
If they at least follow those minimum codes then the heater has to have a in line shut off valve within 6 feet of the appliance, and I am sure that not having a gas control valve would be a issue.
Just a fyi, as a former propane tech, Even being probably considered the red headed step child of the utilities, If they would have cut off a lockout on my or your equipment, we would have been hard pressed to
do business with you again. I am of course leaving out some of the process, but I think you get my drift. All about liability.

For slightly more money, you can get Cadet wall heaters with fans. They take up a lot less wall space but do require cutting a hole in the drywall.

Yes, but again a lot depends on if current wiring and circuit panel would meet the demand and is up to code and how many units (since even those are essentially still localized area/room heaters) they would need to sufficiently heat the most commonly stayed in rooms.

I put in a 250 amp panel several years ago. I think I have 6 to 7-110 15 amp circuits and one 30 amp 220 for a dryer. That is on new wire from the pole.

But it doesn't get super cold deer season usually. I'm thinking three of those oil filled heaters which are 5100 BTU's each. Two in the main room and one in the front room. I'm taking an electric blanket so I'm not worried about sleeping. I told them that, and suggested that, and one of them thinks it's funny.

I could chop out all the unnecessary runs, plug and seal them. That's easy as it can be. Then run a static pressure test. Of the many gas lines I've put in houses I've only had two fail, but barely failed. Then we could use two 30000 btu ventless heaters. not great but warm enough I'd say.

But I don't know what happens if I run a new line in either black iron or CSST. Even passing the static test would the gas company ask it it was installed by a licensed contractor? I don't know what they do there, but it is the same company here.

Well if you decide to heat with electric, while you're getting the inside wire up to proper standards, don't forget to call the local electric company and make sure you have the correct size transformer and service wire to your place. There's nothing like finding out the transformer and service can't supply enough to keep you warm in the middle of the first night that's cold.

Base board heaters are lame and take up lots of room.


King Pic A Watt wall heaters are really great.


The bigger ones need 10 gauge wire though.

I've connected gas appliances to existing gas lines many times but the last and only time I ran a new gas line myself was in the early '70s. At that time the only thing required here was it had to be all black pipe and fittings, buried a certain depth, and had to leave the entire pipe run uncovered until visually inspected and approved. No idea what's required here now.

I do know our last two new gas water heaters installed by commercial seller/plumber had to be inspected and approved by a state plumbing inspector right after installation (each at a added inspection fee) but that may be different where you are.

Good luck...