Thanks, I was afraid that might be the case.
I agree, and think it’s time to interview some independent agents. Thank you.
Yes, we were thinking of forgoing HO insurance completely. We’re not worried about theft, but I admit I hadn’t considered the risk of fire but was focused on how unlikely it is that we’d have any claims for wind/storm damage.
I’m very sorry to learn that your MiL lost her umbrella coverage after she stopped driving and no longer had auto insurance. That would worry me.
I guess I need to talk to an independent agent about how best to minimize our costs, maybe with larger deductibles, and still keep an umbrella policy. Perhaps other insurance companies besides State Farm will write a liability policy or increase the coverage for incidents that occur on our property.
Thanks.
There was just a segment on the news here by our “local” finance guy who said to never cancel homeowners insurance. He suggested raising the deductible up to a high amount if you want (like $10,000) but to keep it case of some catastrophic loss like a fire or a tree falling on your house or something, or equally importantly, it provides liability insurance should someone get hurt on your property.
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Another concern is that if you cancel homeowners insurance and later change your mind, it might be hard to get a company to write a new policy. So many companies are limiting new customers, especially in high risk areas.
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Random Question.
Our new-to-us home has a gas fireplace. We have had wood burning before but not gas. We WILL get it checked out before using it, but a couple of questions…
Currently there is an old mesh type screen to open/close (pull open from the middle to the left and right). I hate the screen and want to remove it. I’m wondering if we should have glass instead??? I imagine SOMETHING is necessary in front of it? (not just a decorative screen).
Can something like this work?
https://www.amazon.com/Clearly-Innovative-Fireplace-Standing-Finished/dp/B09BK26XR8
What else do we need to know about a gas fireplace and maintenance or tips??? We aren’t likely to use it a ton - and more for ambiance not heat!
Yes, you can use that screen in place of the wire mesh. I would buy one too if they had the size I need. There is nothing attractive about the wire mesh but I have been unable to find an alternative to fit our fireplace opening.
Does your gas log system have an electric starter and remote?
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Welllll… I haven’t paid a ton of attention (and we were not able to speak with the previous owners) but there is a floor key valve - and two keys! Not sure about a remote! I’ll have to look in the area near the fireplace.
Hmmm… We’ve had gas fireplaces in three different homes, none with any sort of shielding. I kinda thought that was the point of gas, no sparks, no need to shield, better for heat distribution not to be thwarted by a barrier.
Yeah, this is what I don’t know! Now I am in Ohio so I don’t know if that makes a difference in terms of cold air coming down into the house when fireplace is not in use - or it sucking up AC in the summer!
Obviously if we have a company out they will educate us, but I’d like to have some basic info ahead of time.
There may also be some code restrictions in certain places, so that could come into play. Our three fireplaces were in Michigan, Massachusetts, and Arizona (which we removed due to its uselessness), with no restrictions that we knew of. As for air transmission, just closing the flue kept the right air in/out.
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@abasket Sounds like this is a converted wood burning fireplace? We’ve had a converted one in our first house; there was no pilot light, and we had to light it up manually, just like a wood burning fireplace. There was a key thing to shut off the gas to the gas log.
Like this:
I need a @BunsenBurner in my neighborhood - you always have the most practical advice! this makes a lot of sense. I’ll do a deep dive peeking inside the fireplace as well soon.
And yes, a converted wood to gas fireplace!
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If this was a converted wood burning fireplace, you need to see if the flue needs to be manually opened/closed or if they changed the venting when it was switched over to gas. If you are opening the flue when you light the fireplace, you don’t need anything in front.
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You can easily tell if there is a system to turn on/off the fireplace. If so, there will be a little ignition box and receiver for the remote control tucked in at the side of the logs. They are often covered from view by some small pieces of log. If you have that, the pilot light is always on and the remote will control turning the fire on and off as well as the intensity. Those items are battery powered so it’s important to change the batteries annually so they don’t corrode and mess up the system.
if you don’t see that equipment you will turn it on and off with the gas key and you just need to practice safe lighting techniques. I was taught never to turn on the gas until you have the lit lighter in place. That is not clear in the Home Depot video. You don’t want gas to build up while you try to get the flame started.
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If you will have young ones ever visit, and the fireplace can start with the flick of a switch, Please, Please make sure there is a screen!
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Yes of course! Already thought of that even though there are currently none.
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Regarding spam emails –
My email (AOL) is pretty good at identifying and separating most spam messages. When it does, are messages from those senders forevermore sent to spam-land? Or might they wind up in my regular inbox?
In addition, sometimes spam messages wind up in my regular inbox. I identify those as spam and they are sent to spam-land. If I then delete the message I just sent to spam, does AOL remember the spam address?
We have a gas fireplace with a curtain screen and glass doors. The switch on the wall starts it. The flue opens when it heats up and closes when it cools. We got it in the year 2000. A few years ago when we lost electricity / heat (baseboard water with electric needed) I looked into using the fireplace as a heater for the house. It did not light without electricity. This was a problem that was resolved by the industry. Apparently the next year the fireplaces came out with a way to turn on the fire manually with a match, but our version does not have it- it requires electrical start.
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There are gas insert fireplaces (meaning sealed) with a pilot light. The electric switch will work even if the power is out because the pilot heats up an element that produces low voltage electricity (about 600-800 mV) and opens the gas valve to get the gas flowing. If the pilot light is not on, the fireplace will not start because there is no gas flow. And the pilot is lit up by a separate element (piezoelectric sparkler).
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