
The fire in the Kiva has been fantastic. Here in this locale, it is our time of darkness. It’s dark when I get up in the morning and dark when I go to bed. It’s dark because the love of my life is no longer with me. The fire over the holidays cheered me, lifted my spirits.
Then, when it was time to renew and fill my propane tank, I was in violation. WHAT! I had been inspected and approved to reopen my Kiva. I have had a fire for weeks, now all of a sudden, NOT.
A little leak in the system was detected. The official inspector for the gas company was called in to evaluate the entire. There wasn’t really a leak. It was a disparity in the equipment in the form of a new monitor trying to read old equipment.
But, there was a problem, a major problem. There was no safety valve between the gas being turned on to being physically ignited by matches or a fire stick.
Yellow notices were posted everywhere. My system was deemed unsafe, therefore they couldn’t attach the gas line.
No fire.
This left decisions to be made.
Burn wood
Upgrade the equipment or
Shut down the Kiva as it had been for years.
The fire has been so rewarding, though, providing cheer in this time of darkness.
When it comes to gas, there are regulations, which have all evolved to ensure safety. That’s good. What wasn’t so good, was the cost to bring my wonderful Kiva up-to-date.
The gas tank was too close to an electrical outlet. The line needed to be extended to a safe distance away from outlets, doors and windows, a specific distance.
I won’t run a gas line, even though I had in the past, so my handyman was contacted and very excited as it gave him something to do. It seemed like a simple little job. Once again, there were unexpected pitfalls. The line had to transverse electrical lines, downspouts and a window.
A simple little job has extended into days.
Do I really want a fire that bad?
Then there were complications at the other end of the line.
There’s little room in the Kiva to install safety lighting equipment. Can it be squeezed in?
If not, an entire replacement of artificial logs, plus the safety ignition was necessary.
This resulted in more decisions to be made with a gas-burning fireplace. Put in a pilot light system or a spark igniter.
Needless to say, KaChing, KaChing, KaChing. This is turning into a major financial mine pit.
Do I really want to fire that badly?
Yes!
Not only do I want the fire, but I also needed to bring the house up to current safety standards.
The outdated system was a disaster waiting to happen. Turn on the gas, it was on, free-flowing until it was ignited at the logs.
All I had to do was fall down or have a demon attack from the ear balance disorder, and if not ignited at the Kiva, the house would fill with propane gas.
It could explode, probably when the furnace kicked in.
Little Dog doesn’t know how to turn off the gas.
The initial gas line inspection was insufficient, but again I am fortunate.
I enjoyed the fire for weeks and it isn’t my time to join my loved one.
Yet.
Let me know how you are doing. I care.
Consideration: How critical is it to ensure adherence to building codes?
Sincerely,
Lynn Brooke
© 2024 Our New Chances
Photo Credit: © 2024 Rachel Gareau
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