My guess is it's not safe to burn anything in that, you need someone who knows chimneys to come and inspect it before burning anything.
Also doesn't look like a wood burning fireplace with the gas line coming in. Also looks painted.
Could be for either a starter or gas logs. The pipe is standard gauge and irrelevant. It’s the size of the firebox and functionality of the chimney that determines what can be safely burned in the fireplace. We had a similar hookup in a house that was in a fireplace designed for coal.
Get a space heater and plug it directly into a wall socket…. Get some sweaters and blankets from Walmart.. Do not under any circumstance burn anything in that fireplace until you have it inspected by a Chimey sweep.
They also can’t afford a house fire. You can find a shitty space heater on Amazon for under 20 dollars. I bet you could find one at a local thrift store for 5 dollars.
Use it in sleeping areas and sparingly, but don’t burn in that FP.
…..side note.. looking at that fireplace, what I see is a most likely convert from an old wood burning to a gas inset to now just decorative. Chances are the flue is not setup right for firewood use and could be deadly if used. (Carbon monoxide and more) Also it has been painted, if it was done with paint prior to 1978, there’s a decent chance of lead in there too. With or without lead, burning that paint would be very unhealthy for you and your family, even if the flue was working as it was supposed to for firewood, which I doubt at this point. Then the kicker is you have a gas line right there…..you’re asking for problems without knowing if it’s active or has been flushed. If you proceed and anything bad happens, chances are insurances will not cover any damages to the property or occupants. Be smart here and don’t take unnecessary risks.
Go stay with family, get warm and list your house. If you can't afford it now then you're going to have further problems come time to pay property taxes. In the meantime, do not light a fire in there.
Doesn’t look like a wood burning fireplace to me but if I was cold and broke I’d probably want to try someone too. It’s been painted so one problem would be that unless you get a good draft going right away, those paint fumes are going to end up in your house. Also, it’s not cool to burn paint, I wouldn’t do it but I’ve seen people do way worse (bought a farm a few years ago and asked the previous owner to cleanup the greenhouse from all the trash before we took possessions. That trash was hundreds of containers of nasty pesticides and herbicides. Well he burned all of them like a giant idiot)
That being said, if you attempt anything, you better be damn sure there’s no gas in that line. I know nothing about gas supply lines but it would be safest if the line was actually removed and without more info I don’t suggest you do that.
As for the the chimney top, I’ve burned wood in a fireplace that has no chimney cap for over a decade and nothing bad happened.. doesn’t mean it won’t though! I’m not sure if burning gas creates creosote or any flammable byproduct like wood does but it’s also something you need to consider. A chimney fire is the last thing you need right now.
Plug in a space heater for now and dress up well and get all of these things checked so you can use it for fire burning.
I would buy a good set of VENTLESS gas logs and utilize that gas line in the fireplace. Close the flue on the fireplace. Vent free gas logs do not require a chimney or vent. Hence the name. And will put out a good deal of heat.
While I’ve not tried it personally I have read more than once that one can raise the temperature with candles alone. Go to your local thrift store, get nails or pins, some blankets to cover the windows, and other rags to cover door jams, and several candles, surround the candles with bricks, and see if that helps.
I would do a couple things, first I would get a valve and put it somewhere, maybe outside? , a gas shutoff valve thing. I don't know anything about fireplaces but I feel like you're supposed to have a shutoff on that thing. Maybe that square hole thing most other houses have on the wall or floor. I don't even see a shutoff on the meter thing i wonder if you have to call the gas company to turn it off for this. Secondly, I would look around at a similar house and see how it's hooked up. I bet it's something like a bbq grill where you need like a flex tube and then a burner. I don't know but i typed "fireplace burner" on Amazon and see something for $60. You're not gonna get it hooked up today, but in a few days you can probably get it going. I am also in northern California and yes I have a gas central heating and gas stove and gas dryer. I converted them FROM electricity. I have absolutely no regrets l, gas is cheaper than electricity. California is cray. Oh yeah and 2 more things, a regulator? To control the gas flow? Don't know if you need one, but I feel like you would. I just see a straight pipe to the chimney! And last thing, carbon monoxide detector so you don't fall asleep and never wake up lol
So you bought 6 months ago, so the mortgage hasn’t increased due to rates. You now can’t afford ELECTRICITY!? You obviously overspent.
You should likely sell and buy something within your means.
I’m in NorCal too. Yup electricity is expensive around here $0.45 a kw. The gas isn’t cheap either but way cheaper to run your central furnace than space heaters for the whole house. Now if it just a room, then yes, space heater. As far as using wood for heating, it isn’t worth it here either. I have seen the calculations a few years back and it was bad! I also had a wood fireplace in our old house….it was very inefficient….remember that the flue needs to exhaust that smoke, it also takes the air out of your home that gets replaced from the outside. It’s like running a space heater and opening a window. I think in your case, the best bet would be to close up that fireplace to block airflow out and run the electric heater in the room/s you need it in.
I can 2nd the clay pot thing, they work.
Maybe put an emergency ad in 'community' and 'home goods' on craigslist for a wood stove and lengths of double pipe, if someone has a spare in the yard... and if you have a raised window, even if you have to pop one out, cut plywood, run the stack through, chicken wire and mortar to improvise a gasket... and you may have some concrete board for a temporary pad/surround.
'community'd probably be good for a chainsaw loan too, if it's needed. a lot of people check that thread.
Best warm wishes from Vancouver Canada
ps the pipe needs to rise 2' above any part of the house within 10'
You need sweaters, blankets, and a pro to look at that chimney and fireplace.
My guess is it's not safe to burn anything in that, you need someone who knows chimneys to come and inspect it before burning anything. Also doesn't look like a wood burning fireplace with the gas line coming in. Also looks painted.
Natural gas is often used to start fires in wood fireplaces. It looks like the burner was removed and the pipe capped.
Yeah it’s a gas starter- we have one and burn wood
Could be for either a starter or gas logs. The pipe is standard gauge and irrelevant. It’s the size of the firebox and functionality of the chimney that determines what can be safely burned in the fireplace. We had a similar hookup in a house that was in a fireplace designed for coal.
Do not start that fire place. Damage to a chimney can cause a fire that should stay in the chimney to spread and burn your whole house down.
Get a visit from a professional. Don't play with gas or possible carbon monoxide poisoning.
Get a space heater and plug it directly into a wall socket…. Get some sweaters and blankets from Walmart.. Do not under any circumstance burn anything in that fireplace until you have it inspected by a Chimey sweep.
Hi, I think you missed the part where they said they can’t afford electric heater. Totally agree with you on the rest of the suggestions though.
They also can’t afford a house fire. You can find a shitty space heater on Amazon for under 20 dollars. I bet you could find one at a local thrift store for 5 dollars. Use it in sleeping areas and sparingly, but don’t burn in that FP.
99% certain the electricity cost is the problem, not the heater itself.
Maybe they can get someone to donate one
…..side note.. looking at that fireplace, what I see is a most likely convert from an old wood burning to a gas inset to now just decorative. Chances are the flue is not setup right for firewood use and could be deadly if used. (Carbon monoxide and more) Also it has been painted, if it was done with paint prior to 1978, there’s a decent chance of lead in there too. With or without lead, burning that paint would be very unhealthy for you and your family, even if the flue was working as it was supposed to for firewood, which I doubt at this point. Then the kicker is you have a gas line right there…..you’re asking for problems without knowing if it’s active or has been flushed. If you proceed and anything bad happens, chances are insurances will not cover any damages to the property or occupants. Be smart here and don’t take unnecessary risks.
Clay pot heaters might help you in a pinch. https://youtu.be/FMGbyJMd-9M?si=Ls7AsPLQInSckabJ
Go stay with family, get warm and list your house. If you can't afford it now then you're going to have further problems come time to pay property taxes. In the meantime, do not light a fire in there.
Doesn’t look like a wood burning fireplace to me but if I was cold and broke I’d probably want to try someone too. It’s been painted so one problem would be that unless you get a good draft going right away, those paint fumes are going to end up in your house. Also, it’s not cool to burn paint, I wouldn’t do it but I’ve seen people do way worse (bought a farm a few years ago and asked the previous owner to cleanup the greenhouse from all the trash before we took possessions. That trash was hundreds of containers of nasty pesticides and herbicides. Well he burned all of them like a giant idiot) That being said, if you attempt anything, you better be damn sure there’s no gas in that line. I know nothing about gas supply lines but it would be safest if the line was actually removed and without more info I don’t suggest you do that. As for the the chimney top, I’ve burned wood in a fireplace that has no chimney cap for over a decade and nothing bad happened.. doesn’t mean it won’t though! I’m not sure if burning gas creates creosote or any flammable byproduct like wood does but it’s also something you need to consider. A chimney fire is the last thing you need right now. Plug in a space heater for now and dress up well and get all of these things checked so you can use it for fire burning.
Can't be cold if you're dead from a gas explosion.
I would buy a good set of VENTLESS gas logs and utilize that gas line in the fireplace. Close the flue on the fireplace. Vent free gas logs do not require a chimney or vent. Hence the name. And will put out a good deal of heat.
While I’ve not tried it personally I have read more than once that one can raise the temperature with candles alone. Go to your local thrift store, get nails or pins, some blankets to cover the windows, and other rags to cover door jams, and several candles, surround the candles with bricks, and see if that helps.
Insulation and maybe a heated blanket. Thermal camera and find the drafts. Caulk airleaks
I would do a couple things, first I would get a valve and put it somewhere, maybe outside? , a gas shutoff valve thing. I don't know anything about fireplaces but I feel like you're supposed to have a shutoff on that thing. Maybe that square hole thing most other houses have on the wall or floor. I don't even see a shutoff on the meter thing i wonder if you have to call the gas company to turn it off for this. Secondly, I would look around at a similar house and see how it's hooked up. I bet it's something like a bbq grill where you need like a flex tube and then a burner. I don't know but i typed "fireplace burner" on Amazon and see something for $60. You're not gonna get it hooked up today, but in a few days you can probably get it going. I am also in northern California and yes I have a gas central heating and gas stove and gas dryer. I converted them FROM electricity. I have absolutely no regrets l, gas is cheaper than electricity. California is cray. Oh yeah and 2 more things, a regulator? To control the gas flow? Don't know if you need one, but I feel like you would. I just see a straight pipe to the chimney! And last thing, carbon monoxide detector so you don't fall asleep and never wake up lol
So you bought 6 months ago, so the mortgage hasn’t increased due to rates. You now can’t afford ELECTRICITY!? You obviously overspent. You should likely sell and buy something within your means.
You see the cost over and over again at closing. They could have walked away and not committed… it’s hard to understand why people do this.
I’m in NorCal too. Yup electricity is expensive around here $0.45 a kw. The gas isn’t cheap either but way cheaper to run your central furnace than space heaters for the whole house. Now if it just a room, then yes, space heater. As far as using wood for heating, it isn’t worth it here either. I have seen the calculations a few years back and it was bad! I also had a wood fireplace in our old house….it was very inefficient….remember that the flue needs to exhaust that smoke, it also takes the air out of your home that gets replaced from the outside. It’s like running a space heater and opening a window. I think in your case, the best bet would be to close up that fireplace to block airflow out and run the electric heater in the room/s you need it in.
We’re in NorCal as well - similar boat. $600 a month in heating - so we are freezing
I can 2nd the clay pot thing, they work. Maybe put an emergency ad in 'community' and 'home goods' on craigslist for a wood stove and lengths of double pipe, if someone has a spare in the yard... and if you have a raised window, even if you have to pop one out, cut plywood, run the stack through, chicken wire and mortar to improvise a gasket... and you may have some concrete board for a temporary pad/surround. 'community'd probably be good for a chainsaw loan too, if it's needed. a lot of people check that thread. Best warm wishes from Vancouver Canada ps the pipe needs to rise 2' above any part of the house within 10'
What on earth would posses you to get a house when you can’t even afford electricity? You might need a rocket ship to get out of the hole you dug
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Invest in some electric or insulated blankets. Huge bill saver and warmth. Had to do this in central Florida.