I have been in my new house for about a year now, and i have gas logs in two fireplaces. We heat with electric and use the gas logs as a supplement to help with the elcectric bill. I have got soot all over my ceilings, moldings, microwave, ……..just about everything! What seems to be going on? Any help or suggestions would be appreciated. I can’t afford to paint my whole house. My nose even has soot in it! HELP!!!!
By the way, my fireplaces are the ventless kind.
Thanks!
Kiddle
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Replies
Soot is evidence of poor combustion, and with ventless heaters, you've been breathing this in order to save on the electric. Others that know more than me on this subject will advise you to quit using those ventless fireplaces before you do harm to yourself. Do you have a working monoxide detector in that house?
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Remodeling Contractor just outside the Glass City.
http://www.quittintime.com/
Thanks for your input! My hubby just looked at me and frowned! Maybe this is why he has a continuing headache! the gas log salesman said that gas logs are way safer than a wood burning fireplace. Have we been mislead? I now feel like i have been smoking for a year!
Any other help would be appreciated.
Kiddle
Edited 1/5/2003 5:58:32 PM ET by lucylocket
Headaches? Do you have an operating CO detector?
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Remodeling Contractor just outside the Glass City.
http://www.quittintime.com/
I'm definately not an HVAC pro, but it sounds like an orifice related problem. Somebody here should be able to help you.
Greg
Something is badly amiss!!! I for one do not advise the use of ventless fireplaces...if anything goes wrong it all ends up in your lungs! Turn yours off now...
If it was a natural gas set up that was put on propane then it will soot. If the air adjustment is closed, even a properly sized orfice for any gas will soot. If the flames are orange yellow instead of clear bright blue then there is a problem!
IMHO if it is ventless it is dangerous! Please get some professional help and CO detector...ASAP!!!!!!
..............................Iron Helix
thank you for your help!
I agree with Ironhelix a %100. I work for a gas and electric company, and at one time we were selling ventless gas fire places. It seems that even a small difference in supply combustion air or dirt build up on the burners (logs) can cause the things to produce soot and CO. Turn them off, call the manufacturer, and purchase a CO detector. Headaches are one of the signs of CO poisoning!
Sometimes on gas logs the burners are "tricked out" to burn a more yellow/orange flame (so it looks like a real fire??? ) If so, these burners are NOT burning properly. Do NOT use the fireplaces. Get a CO detector and go ream out a gas log salesman. I feel that Vent-less log kits should be out-lawed as I believe they have been in Canada.
t
PS I expect Bob Walker will chime in soon. Pay close attention to what he has to say- He knows his stuff when it comes to CO
You didn't say if these were ventless fireplaces, but they probably are with problems you describe. A vented fireplace can be out of adjustment as well, but is a lot less likely to kill you because the carbon monoxide goes up the flue (mostly).
"the gas log salesman said that gas logs are way safer than a wood burning fireplace." That's why they call "salesmen"! Anyone who doesn't try to talk you out of a ventless combustion device much less tries to sell you one is total sleazeball. Hopefully just ignorant of the risks involved. If they are even slightly aware of the these devices and how they operate then they are letting their greed outweigh your life and health if they don't stress the heck out of the manufacturer's instructions that these things are for COSMESTIC and OCCASSIONAL use ONLY. Not as a supplemental heating device for any significant duration.
David Thomas Overlooking Cook Inlet in Kenai, Alaska
If you haven't done so already.......open the doors and windows and get some fresh air in there.
Lucy
Soot can be an indication of dangerous Carbon Monoxide (CO) levels in your house (but not necessarily.)
Do you burn candles? They can be a source of significant levels of soot (generally without high levels of CO.)
Is there soot on the gas logs? That is almost always an indication of potentially dangerous levels of CO. If you see soot on the logs, stop using them until they are checked by a competent technician (but I don't know if one exists!)
Note that the arrangement of the logs in a gas log fireplace is critical, but often people (including "fireplace experts") just toss them in without regard to the instructions.
Remember that ventless gas logs are only supposed to be used for supplemental heat, for no more than 4 hours a day, and you're supposed to open a window to provide fresh air (which helps protect against just one of the two possible CO risks from using them.)
Also remember they are not allowed to be used in bedrooms. (So just how safe are they, really?)
As Calvin noted, get and use a good CO detector. At a minimum, you want one with a digital readout (typically $40-50.) If there are infants in the house, or pregnant women, or elderly, or folks with immune system problems, or on chemo, etc, you should use a low level monitor, such as you can get at http://www.aeromedix.com
And, btw, soot can be very difficult and expensive to clean up.
Please keep us posted as to what you have going on.
If you'd like information on the medical effects of co, you can get it at http://www.coheadquarters.com
And, btw, all them other folks are right, in my opinion.
I didn't see the message mentioning headaches at first. Definitiely a sign of likely co poisoning.
Definitely checkout the CO headquarters site!
Effects of co poisoning can linger for a long time after the exposure stops, so be aware of possible long term effects.
Where are you located? I might be able to refer some knowledgable people.
Edited 1/5/2003 9:03:46 PM ET by Bob Walker
Thank you for all your advice. My husband has turned the logs off, and I think he finally realized that he doesn't know everything! I have dug out one of our CO2 detectors, and so far we are all still alive.
We live about 30 miles from Nashville, Tennessee! GO TITANS!
I will keep you all posted. we had mold problems in our basement last summer and had to re paint the whole basement, now we have soot! I think GOD maybe trying to tell us something?
Also, when they came to install our logs, the pipes or whatever they are called leaked horribly! My hubby fixed that himself.
Edited 1/5/2003 11:49:05 PM ET by lucylocket
so far we are all still alive
Everyone knows high levels of CO can kill. Many people don't know that repeated exposure to low levels can cause significant, long term health problems.
Just because you aren't dead, doesn't mean you don't have a CO problem!
That's why I recommend the type of CO detector that has a digital readout - the cheap $20 type will detect high levels, but not low levels.
_______________________
"I may have said the same thing before... But my explanation, I am sure, will always be different." Oscar Wilde
All the other advice is good. One more thing to check is the gas pressure. The gas company would probably do it if you called and asked. Low gas pressure will cause sooting. Also have the burners and gas valve checked for blockage. If your husband hasn't done gas piping before he may have sealer or the installers may have left metal burrs in there that will plug the gas valve screen or gas orfice. DanT
I have a gas log setup in my house, and we had a major soot problem. We called in a technician to look at it, and he promptly told us that the logs were not arranged correctly by the installer. He rearranged them, and tested it - no more soot. In our unit, the logs were touching the flames, and that was what was causing the incomplete or improper burning.
What a difference - cost us about 70 bucks, IIRC.
Just went on a service call for a similar situation, except units were direct vent. The homeowner had removed the glass for some reason and had not re-secured it properly. This fouled up the draft, and it was sooting up the place. This fp had four spring-loaded clips holding the glass.
Not offered to discount the other advice - you should have th co detector and call in the fp installers.
DC