Outdoor Wood Furnace Info
All-Purpose OWF Discussions => Equipment => Topic started by: LittleJohn on December 31, 2013, 08:34:55 AM
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So over the Xmas week had several rounds of relatives thru the house and staying over, and had one VERY nervouse aunt who said that she smelled gas or LP out side. Well after everyone left and I had time to recover from a hangover or two I had to get to the bottum of this problem.
Called out the gas man to check for leaks, DING DING DING, we had a winner - no not a line or fitting leaking; the control valve for the LP back up generator had frozen (temps in MN the last 2 weeks averaged -10) and was leaking. So I had to break out the heat gun (electric, not gas) and thaw out the valve and cook out all the moisture.
Now I know this doesn't sound all that scary, OK gas leaks are danagerous not going to lie; I forget to mention OWB is less than 15' from generator :o THANK GOD I DIDN'T BLOW UP on one of the hundred times I have run out to fill the OWB in the last month.
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Fortunately LP is heavier than air and will stay low. Unless you had large volumes leaking you're relatively safe with the outdoor boiler. Your basement/crawlspace, however, is at an increased risk of accumulating some of that leaked gas.
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Ever see those crazy plumbers or havoc guys testing for leaks with a lighter or torch. They just run it along the joints till a flame appears.
Also gas log lighter kits are nothing more than a pipe with holes or hole and a valve. Nothing else to control flame.
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So over the Xmas week had several rounds of relatives thru the house and staying over, and had one VERY nervouse aunt who said that she smelled gas or LP out side. Well after everyone left and I had time to recover from a hangover or two I had to get to the bottum of this problem.
Called out the gas man to check for leaks, DING DING DING, we had a winner - no not a line or fitting leaking; the control valve for the LP back up generator had frozen (temps in MN the last 2 weeks averaged -10) and was leaking. So I had to break out the heat gun (electric, not gas) and thaw out the valve and cook out all the moisture.
Now I know this doesn't sound all that scary, OK gas leaks are danagerous not going to lie; I forget to mention OWB is less than 15' from generator :o THANK GOD I DIDN'T BLOW UP on one of the hundred times I have run out to fill the OWB in the last month.
If the LP control valve you're talking about is the regulator, this can be a common problem.
I live on the West Coast of Canada, Northern Vancouver Island. Our winters are a very damp climate with temperatures that just hover around freezing. There is a simple solution to the freezing problem; put a bucket or some similar covering over the regulator. This will prevent the regulator from freezing!
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Good advice Hobbyheater, around here in the Northeast, all regulators are covered either by a hood over them or they are inside the tank top with a cover over it
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Solution was I found was a thermostat controlled outlet; turns on at 35f off at 45f and plugged in a light bulb -> just enough heat to keep everything kind of happy
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glue on a thumb warmer ...like the kind that goes on a 4 wheeler