Fire Place Question

[AUEquine]

Ok, this is kinda a shot in the dark question, but worth a shot. I need some info on fireplaces. My house has a fire place in it, however inside the fireplace is a copper pipe sticking out. So my great deductive reasoning skills determined that this is a gas fireplace. However nothing in my home is gas, so I don't have a gas tank. And the pipe is just sticking out, and no longer attached to anything. So my question is, can I remove the pipe, seal the hole and burn wood in this fire place? I'm just wondering if there are different ratings on fireplaces? Could this fireplace be built for gas only, and if I burn wood in it will it melt or something? I do have a chimney/flu(sp?) that goes up to the roof, so I know it wasn't a ventless gas fire place.

So anyone have any clue if I can just seal off the hole with some sort of fire proof sealant and burn wood in the fire place? Because it's really cold, and I'd love to have a fire to curl up next to!


ETA: by 'can I' I really mean 'can I have my husband...' hee hee hee!

[Tiz]

Oh my gosh, don't burn your house down too! I don't know what you've got there, but fire is not something to get wrong. More clothes, miss. This weather won't last long for you down there.

[WashingtonBay]

I think this is probably something that needs to be inspected by a professional, before you do anything. Even if it is a wood fireplace, if it hasn't been used in a long time, it may not be safe. The chimney may be blocked, dirty or not adequate for whatever reason.

[Palogal]

I'm all for redneck ingenuity and all but when fire is involved, I generally consult someone with more knowledge than myself :)

[JennyandJosey]

We have a wood burning stove in the house with a very safe chimney.

I wouldn't burn anything without knowing what's up there. The chimney could have cracks that could spread fire to the whole house. Just not a good idea without having it inspected first.

[mare]

I agree with the others. Get it inspected first (by a pro), the weather won't last long enough to bother, etc.

Fireplaces are really inefficient ways to produce heat. Only the immediate area in front of the hearth will be warm. The rest of the heat goes straight up. If you decide to get yourself set up for future "deep freezes," a fireplace insert, which is a woodstove designed to fit inside the fireplace with a triple-wall stove pipe going up the flue, may be a workable idea.

[vicklynn]

I so agree with the others. Have it inspected thoroughly and ask loads of questions.

I have a wood burning fireplace, but only use store bought logs.
Some day we hope to have it inspected to see if we can turn it into a gas type fireplace.
Manufactured homes dont have the biggest fireplaces, but enough to cut the chill!!

Ill share my fire with you!!
http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a155/vicklynn/101_0288.jpg

[WashingtonBay]

Or... if you'd like to be able to sit in front of a fire.... find out where that gas line goes and get it hooked up to a source, and use that... :) The flue still needs to be inspected probably, to make sure it's venting correctly, but it's a pretty nice way to have a instafire when it works!

[lovesfortune]

My parents own a fireplace store. I would try calling around to find one in your area. Most places come out to do free quotes/inspections and can tell you what you have going on and what you would need to do. I do know that fireplaces like yours sounds like, have inserts, which you can (you meaning professional) pull out and put a new one in. I don't know about switching gas to wood, but I'm sure it's possible, don't know how easy though.

[Gypsy Rose]

All of the above translated means, "Please don't try to do anything with it yourself!":)

Another thing to consider would be if your homeowner's insurance policy would still provide coverage should there be a fire. Your insurance agent would need to be notified if you were going to be adding or altering a heat source. At least up here, I know that is required, lol!:)

[AUEquine]

Oh I'm not doing this on a whim. That's why I asked the question, trying to get some info. I have no idea who to call to inspect this, but that is a good point about the chimney being damaged. Since it is a trailer, lots of stuff can happen on delivery. And this trailer has already been in one fire (before me) so I definatly don't take risks.

And Vicklynn, it was that pic that made me think of this!