Heaters

Heaters
I'm testing the heaters over several weekends and will update this post as I do so.

First, a note about the alarms.  There has always been a CO alarm plugged into the outlet near the phone.  In addition, I have purchased two more alarms that detect both CO and gas.  These are the type that plug into an outlet (and have backup power from installed batteries) and I usually keep one downstairs and one in the bedroom we sleep in.  I used this type of alarm when testing heaters.

I have also purchased conventional smoke/fire alarms and have installed them around the house.  I hesitated about this because I worried that they were not consistent with the aesthetic.  In the end, however, I decided that the safety of the house (and us) was more important than how they looked (alhough I never notice them).  They can easily be removed.

FYI, the smoke detector in the long room near the kitchen will occasionally sound when cooking.  It can be a nuisance but it's nice to know that they're sensitive.  Push the button in the center to silence and then gently twist it out of it's mount and tuck away until you're done cooking.

Upstairs Main Bedroom
This heater an Empire model DV-215-5.  It takes a while to get the pilot lit but, once lit, the heater functions.  I tested it for about an hour with a combination CO/gas detector in the room and it triggered no alarms.  UPDATE 10-29-11: we turned this heater on again to use in the cold weather but after a bit there was a strong smell of gas so we couldn't use it.  I sprayed the joints in the line but saw no leaks so the source of the smell is unknown.

Upstairs Office
This heater is also an Empire DV-215-5 and it is not working.  According to Empire the pilot orifice is broken and they no longer make replacement parts for this model.  They say it's a very old heater and that the replacement, which should fit where the current one is, is model DV-215-7.  Below is a picture I took of the gas line pulled out of the pilot orifice.

Part of the pilot orifice is still stuck up in there.

Heater in downstairs FRONT bedroom
This heater is made by Williams and is a model #1403611.  The pilot lights easily and it was tested on 10-3-11 for an hour with a combination CO/gas detector in the room.  There were no alarms.

What's important to know about using this heater is that you must first turn on the gas valve outside in the screened-in porch.  However, when that valve is on, it leaks gas.  This valve should be replaced.

Gas valve in screened-in porch outside front downstairs bedroom.  It leaks when in the ON position.

 Heater in upstairs small bedroom
This is a Williams heater also.  I lit it with a lighter as it didn't light immediately with the red button.  I ran it for a little under a half hour with the door closed and a combination CO/gas detector and there were no alarms.

Heater in downstairs BACK bedroom
At the time of this writing (10-3-11) this room was full of storage items so this heater was not tested.  The valve outside, which is different from the valve that serves the heater in the FRONT bedroom, remains OFF.

Note: these tests don't prove that the heaters are safe, only that they didn't set off alarms in the short tests I conducted.  I recommend using a CO/gas detector in every room where you use a heater, but I'm a paranoid.