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horaceunit
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# Posted: 23 Nov 2014 11:02am
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In the cabin I purchased at the beginning of the year there is a propane gas heater (Harman Clarity 929BV). So far I have had no luck getting it to work, and personally I would prefer a wood stove anyway. I know that normally the stovepipe is different and can't be used between the two types of stoves. However there are a couple of odd things about the current set-up. Look at the pictures and see if you can help out.
. First the interior picture with the heater. It sits on a cement and slate pad that looks to have been a DIY build. Why do that for a gas heater? The exterior shot shows the stovepipe which appears to be stainless and I have been told by a local that it looks just like the one he has for a wood burning stove. The place was built in the early 80's but the stove was bought in 1996. My thinking is that originally there was a wood burner installed and it was replaced by the gas heater. I have seen multiple places online that say you can't use a gas stovepipe for a wood burning stove, but what about the other way around? To cut the install cost of the gas heater could you just use the wood burning stovepipe instead of replacing it all? The interior stovepipe is black not stainless but is that something that would be done with a wood stove pipe just for the look inside? Or would they have used the gas heater pipe from the heater to the ceiling and then just mated it to the old original wood stove pipe from there? Just wondering if anyone who has more experience has any insights into this. It would be nice to just be able to reuse the pipe that is there and not have to replace it all! Also anyone know any east ways to tell the difference between the gas stovepipe and wood stovepipe? Thanks for any help guys!
Mica_Inside_Stove.jp.jpg
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Mica_Outside_Stovepi.jpg
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Just
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# Posted: 23 Nov 2014 11:20am
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i agree it looks like they started with a wood stove . if a magnet will stick to the black pipe it is steel and can be used for wood heat as long as it is not painted galvanized pipe . IMO
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MtnDon
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# Posted: 23 Nov 2014 11:47am - Edited by: MtnDon
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Quoting: horaceunit So far I have had no luck getting it to work,
You don't say what the problem is. It could be related to the chimney or it could be something else altogether.
Have you read the user manual? It is available with a Google search. That stove/heater is supposed to use a 4" B vent. It is possible that if used with a larger size chimney pipe, like a 6 or 8 inch wood stove chimney pipe, the exhaust may not have sufficient velocity to operate properly. That can happen with improper size pipes on a wood burner, perhaps the same can be said for gas fueled heaters. Just a guess.
Manual
If the appearance is better with the large diameter black stove pipe a B vent liner could be run up inside the existing pipe all the way to the top.
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MtnDon
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# Posted: 23 Nov 2014 11:53am
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Quoting: horaceunit It sits on a cement and slate pad that looks to have been a DIY build. Why do that for a gas heater?
Appearance? Or a left over from the old wood stove. They probably got tired of cutting wood, hauling ashes, etc.
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horaceunit
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# Posted: 23 Nov 2014 12:33pm
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Sorry, wasn't too clear on the gas stove problem. Supposed to have a blower. It doesn't work at all. Used a three prong extension to a couple of know good outlets and it still doesn't work. The little push button starter (like on a propane grill) doesn't work. Even using a match I couldn't get it to lite. What I did (no pics of this, unfortunately) was to adapt an outside 50 gallon tank hook up to a standard grill type propane tank with a regulator. That tank has propane, and it worked fine on my grill. I never got a whiff of propane, but the stove directions say you shouldn't. I know the property has sat empty for at least 5 years so who knows. The other thing I didn't do was get a measurement of the inside pipe diameter. Well guess I have an excuse to make the 5 hour trip again next weekend! Thanks for the insights!
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beachman
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# Posted: 23 Nov 2014 05:31pm
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Sometimes a spider web or bugs in a gas inlet can wreak havoc. The chimney pipe looks like wood stove pipe but this is only a guess from your pictures. If you can smell wood residue or creosote at the top of the chimney then it would be a good indication of wood burned at some previous time. As for the propane - sounds like the gas is not getting to the stove. Sometimes if the unit has sat for some time, then it could take a minute of two for the gas to get to the stove. I would get a pro to look at the pipe and check the connections.
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toyota_mdt_tech
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# Posted: 23 Nov 2014 05:41pm
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That stove pipe looks like it started life out as a woodstove chimney. Both diameter, appearance etc.
As Mt Don said, maybe its oversize for the gas stove? Could a smaller sized pipe fit inside of the woodstove pipe if that is the case? Just bouncing ideas around.
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horaceunit
Member
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# Posted: 23 Nov 2014 06:04pm
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The last couple of times we have been there I was so busy with other stuff I never got a chance to do much with the heater except give it a try once. It is probably the best idea to have it looked at by some who knows about them. I actually would prefer to have a wood burner especially considering how much the repair might cost. I know the blower is around $150.00 and up just for that one part. No telling what labor would cost! I'll try to get it open and see if a good cleaning will help next time we go up. Thanks for all the help I really appreciate it! Oh, I do have the original manual, and even the receipt. I actually tried to give the business on the receipt but they aren't open on Sunday. We were there this weekend and got back late last night which is why I posted this today. We might be going next weekend as well! Thanks again!
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NhLiving
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# Posted: 24 Nov 2014 12:58am
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Well if it looks like a 6" Wood stove pipe for the entire chimney section then i guess installing a wood stove won't be too much of a problem. If that's what you would ideally by looking to do. I would certainly get it checked out by a professional and since it seems somewhat old, i guess cleaned at the same time. The previous owners probably got tired of the labor and time that goes into maintaining the fire and stocking up on wood. But if you decide to keep the existing stove, i would still get the chimney checked out, as well as the stove. Good luck.
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Nirky
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# Posted: 24 Nov 2014 03:41am
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That propane stove takes 4" pipe, so definitely was a woodstove in there as the two pics clearly show at least 6" woodstove stovepipe.
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horaceunit
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# Posted: 24 Nov 2014 09:21am
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I've got about 12 years until I retire so until then- barring unforeseen circumstances- it is a recreational/vacation cabin. To that end maintaining a fire in a wood stove is most of the fun in going during the colder months! I have had the thought that getting the propane heater fixed, making sure it works, then storing it and still installing a wood heater and keeping the other as a standby. The practical part of me can't stand the idea of paying for fuel when I have close to 3 acres of fuel out my backdoor. The other side of the coin is to get the propane heater working and see if I can sell it and use the proceeds to buy a really nice wood burner.  Thanks to all of you, and to Nirky- yeah that is exactly what a local told me, but I really wanted to get some other opinions! I'll be going this weekend so I will update this thread to let you know what I find out!
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fasenuff
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# Posted: 24 Nov 2014 12:23pm
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I once had a propane heater that worked until it was left sit for a few years and I figured it should still work. I spent many hours testing this and that and just could not get it to even light the pilot. After I gave up om it a friend in the business suggested I look at the pilot orifice to make sure corrosion had not plugged it up. Sure enough that was where the problem lay. Cleaned the orifice out and then it all worked fine. Also if the line from tank to heater is very long you may have to hold down the pilot button for quite a while before propane makes it to the stove. When I change tanks on my camper I usually light cook stove burner first which gets rid of a lot of air then I don't have to hold the pilot light as long.....
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horaceunit
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# Posted: 24 Nov 2014 12:29pm
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The run on the line for the propane tank is probably pretty close to the width of the cabin which is 20 feet. I know I did push it in for awhile, and more than once, but actually you may be right in that I didn't really think about the length of the line so that is certainly something to try again and be patient! Good thought, THANKS!
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