Hello all,

In my struggle to find somewhere affordable and convenient to live, I decided to forego some 'luxuries' like central heat/air, after all the weather is pretty mild where I live.

We've hit a bit of a cold spell though, and my 100 year old windows offer no help to the dinky electrical space heater I thought would suffice, so I'm looking at this old natural gas furnace that's been sitting in the corner of my room and wishing I had asked my landlord about it before he left for a while.

Pictures:
http://imgur.com/a/OJdKp

There is no electrical cord involved (though an ethernet cable can be seen in some pictures)

My inclination (assuming no one talks me out of it, is to open up the main gas valve, and fiddle with the little internal valve while trying to light the pilot light, but after that I have no idea what to do or expect, so any insight is appreciated.

Is this a "Space Heater" or a "Furnace"? From the photos it sure looks like a space heater, not a furnace.

If there is not an electrical connection, there is no blower, then it must heat a grid and then the grid/ceramic waffle-shaped stone must put out infrared heat. This is what most of us would call a space heater.

On Sun, 4 Jan 2015 15:26:18 -0800 (PST), Tyler Wood
wrote:

Hello all,

In my struggle to find somewhere affordable and convenient to live, I decided to forego some 'luxuries' like central heat/air, after all the weather is pretty mild where I live.

We've hit a bit of a cold spell though, and my 100 year old windows offer no help to the dinky electrical space heater I thought would suffice, so I'm looking at this old natural gas furnace that's been sitting in the corner of my room and wishing I had asked my landlord about it before he left for a while.

Pictures:
http://imgur.com/a/OJdKp

There is no electrical cord involved (though an ethernet cable can be seen in some pictures)

My inclination (assuming no one talks me out of it, is to open up the main gas valve, and fiddle with the little internal valve while trying to light the pilot light, but after that I have no idea what to do or expect, so any insight is appreciated.

It looks to me the pilot light is out, the gas valve is closed
(perpendicular to the line) The valve handle should be parallel to the
pipe.

Open the valve part way and see if the pilot light fires up.

Don't poke yer eye out.

On Sun, 04 Jan 2015 15:59:27 -0800, Oren wrote:

On Sun, 4 Jan 2015 15:26:18 -0800 (PST), Tyler Wood
wrote:

Hello all,

In my struggle to find somewhere affordable and convenient to live, I decided to forego some 'luxuries' like central heat/air, after all the weather is pretty mild where I live.

We've hit a bit of a cold spell though, and my 100 year old windows offer no help to the dinky electrical space heater I thought would suffice, so I'm looking at this old natural gas furnace that's been sitting in the corner of my room and wishing I had asked my landlord about it before he left for a while.

Pictures:
http://imgur.com/a/OJdKp

There is no electrical cord involved (though an ethernet cable can be seen in some pictures)

My inclination (assuming no one talks me out of it, is to open up the main gas valve, and fiddle with the little internal valve while trying to light the pilot light, but after that I have no idea what to do or expect, so any insight is appreciated.

It looks to me the pilot light is out, the gas valve is closed
(perpendicular to the line) The valve handle should be parallel to the
pipe.

Open the valve part way and see if the pilot light fires up.

Don't poke yer eye out.

P.S. With the valve partially open, then light the pilot with a match
or long lighter. Then open the gas valve fully. I see no electronic
igniter so you will needed a match to light the pilot.

Tyler Wood wrote:
Hello all,

In my struggle to find somewhere affordable and convenient to live, I
decided to forego some 'luxuries' like central heat/air, after all
the weather is pretty mild where I live.

We've hit a bit of a cold spell though, and my 100 year old windows
offer no help to the dinky electrical space heater I thought would
suffice, so I'm looking at this old natural gas furnace that's been
sitting in the corner of my room and wishing I had asked my landlord
about it before he left for a while.

Pictures:
http://imgur.com/a/OJdKp

There is no electrical cord involved (though an ethernet cable can be
seen in some pictures)

My inclination (assuming no one talks me out of it, is to open up the
main gas valve, and fiddle with the little internal valve while
trying to light the pilot light, but after that I have no idea what
to do or expect, so any insight is appreciated.

hrhoffman is tight , it's technically a space heater , and a big one .

OK , when you open the main gas valve , you should have gas coming out the
pilot - the small thing you circled . The valve inside the heater is the
main burner valve , and you can regulate the flame size with it .
THIS HEATER HAS NO SAFETY SHUTOFFS !! IF THE FLAME GOES OUT YOU'RE GOING
TO BE POURING GAS INTO THE ROOM , AND YOU WILL EITHER BLOW UP THE BUILDING
OR DIE FROM THE GAS . DO NOT BURN THIS HEATER WHILE SLEEPING OR WHILE NOT AT
HOME !!
--
Snag

On Sun, 4 Jan 2015 15:26:18 -0800 (PST), Tyler Wood
wrote:

Hello all,

In my struggle to find somewhere affordable and convenient to live, I decided to forego some 'luxuries' like central heat/air, after all the weather is pretty mild where I live.

We've hit a bit of a cold spell though, and my 100 year old windows offer no help to the dinky electrical space heater I thought would suffice, so I'm looking at this old natural gas furnace that's been sitting in the corner of my room and wishing I had asked my landlord about it before he left for a while.

Pictures:
http://imgur.com/a/OJdKp

There is no electrical cord involved (though an ethernet cable can be seen in some pictures)

My inclination (assuming no one talks me out of it, is to open up the main gas valve, and fiddle with the little internal valve while trying to light the pilot light, but after that I have no idea what to do or expect, so any insight is appreciated.

I didn't look closely at the pictures, and after I read the next answer,
the possibility in the paragraphs below of finding someone with the same
unit seems less likely, but still possible. Maybe more than one
apartment has the same thing, or maybe someone used to help the previous
person in your apartment use hers. Ask around.

Any other people in the building, who might have been around the last
time the furnace was used, or heard people discussing it? Or better
yet, maybe who has a furnace like yours?? Any identical-looking
buildings on the block where the same furnace might be still used?

People love to be helpful in person, just like on the ng. Ask nicely
and don't show a knife, and most will let you in and show you what they
know.

On Sun, 4 Jan 2015 15:42:07 -0800 (PST), "
wrote:

Is this a "Space Heater" or a "Furnace"? From the photos it sure
looks like a space heater, not a furnace.

From the pics, it looks like a space heater to me. On fact it looks
like one I had in a house I rented in the 70s. It was in our living
room, and heated well, but the other rooms would be on the cold side.
We used 1 or 2 fans blowing out of the living rm doorways to get the
heat to circulate to other rooms. That worked good.

The OP said he dont normally need it, but is having a cold spell. It
should work just fine for that. But I'd check to make sure the chimney
and pipes are clean and open, and make sure the flame compartment has no
holes. Check pipes for gas leaks too. Just a safety precaution, since
it's old.

Mine had a ceramic "grid" on front of the flame, which was visible thru
glass. I kind of liked the "fireplace look".

On Sun, 4 Jan 2015 18:13:16 -0600, "Terry Coombs"
wrote:

hrhoffman is tight , it's technically a space heater , and a big one .

OK , when you open the main gas valve , you should have gas coming out the
pilot - the small thing you circled . The valve inside the heater is the
main burner valve , and you can regulate the flame size with it .
THIS HEATER HAS NO SAFETY SHUTOFFS !! IF THE FLAME GOES OUT YOU'RE GOING
TO BE POURING GAS INTO THE ROOM , AND YOU WILL EITHER BLOW UP THE BUILDING
OR DIE FROM THE GAS . DO NOT BURN THIS HEATER WHILE SLEEPING OR WHILE NOT AT
HOME !!

+100

His heater is at least vented outside. My grandfather had a ceramic
faced small space heater. Turn the valve open and light it. Never
left it on when not present in the home. His wasn't even vented
outside.

OP show us a picture of the front...

On Sun, 4 Jan 2015 18:13:16 -0600, "Terry Coombs"
wrote:


hrhoffman is tight , it's technically a space heater , and a big one .

How do you know he's TIGHT ?

OK , when you open the main gas valve , you should have gas coming out the
pilot - the small thing you circled . The valve inside the heater is the
main burner valve , and you can regulate the flame size with it .
THIS HEATER HAS NO SAFETY SHUTOFFS !! IF THE FLAME GOES OUT YOU'RE GOING
TO BE POURING GAS INTO THE ROOM , AND YOU WILL EITHER BLOW UP THE BUILDING
OR DIE FROM THE GAS . DO NOT BURN THIS HEATER WHILE SLEEPING OR WHILE NOT AT
HOME !!
--
Snag

This must be a REAL OLD heater. I had to take a second look at the
pics. It dont even have a thermocouple and pilot push button to light
it. I would not want to use that for regular heating, but for
occasional use, I suppose it's ok, but needs to be watched. I'd be
inclined to either replace it, or take a water heater control and rig in
into the piping so that there is a thermocouple controlling the pilot.
I dont like the idea of this not shutting off the gas if the pilot goes
out. It probably would not be that hard to modify, but I know what I;m
doing, so I wont recommend anyone else to do it.

That screw where the gas pipe connects, is to adjust the pilot flame
size.

When the outdoor temp rises, I'd shut off the gas entirely to it.

I believe the OP said he has a landlord. If it was mine, I'd ask the
landlord to get something newer, and explain why. It probably violates
the hme insurance too. You should be able to get a newer (used) heater
fairly cheap.

On Sunday, January 4, 2015 7:27:28 PM UTC-5, Oren wrote:
On Sun, 4 Jan 2015 18:13:16 -0600, "Terry Coombs"
wrote:

hrhoffman is tight , it's technically a space heater , and a big one .

OK , when you open the main gas valve , you should have gas coming out the
pilot - the small thing you circled . The valve inside the heater is the
main burner valve , and you can regulate the flame size with it .
THIS HEATER HAS NO SAFETY SHUTOFFS !! IF THE FLAME GOES OUT YOU'RE GOING
TO BE POURING GAS INTO THE ROOM , AND YOU WILL EITHER BLOW UP THE BUILDING
OR DIE FROM THE GAS . DO NOT BURN THIS HEATER WHILE SLEEPING OR WHILE NOT AT
HOME !!

+100

His heater is at least vented outside. My grandfather had a ceramic
faced small space heater. Turn the valve open and light it. Never
left it on when not present in the home. His wasn't even vented
outside.

OP show us a picture of the front...

From what I see so far, it looks like a very old space heater, with
as someone pointed out, no safety devices at all. I don't even see
any thermostatically controlled gas valve. Looks like it's all on or
all off. And if it goes out for some reason, gas will continue to flow.
Personally, if I was stuck in some remote cabin and had to use it one time,
I would, while awake and watching it. I would not use it for regular use
or leave it on when going to sleep, etc. Not only is it lacking safety
devices, but being old, more prone to problems too. And check the vent.

wrote:
On Sun, 4 Jan 2015 18:13:16 -0600, "Terry Coombs"
wrote:


hrhoffman is tight , it's technically a space heater , and a big one
.

How do you know he's TIGHT ?

Well isn't it obvious ? Actually that was a typo , I meant "right" .

--
Snag

First off, let me thank you all for the incredible amount of help your responses have been! Especially the warnings about only using it when I can be there to ensure the pilot light is on.

As requested, here is a picture of the front.

http://imgur.com/Wy6fikX

I bought a long lighter as recommended and will try to light the pilot light now and I'll let you know how it goes =)

I guess what I'm still unsure of is what the internal valve does -- Some have said it regulates the size of the pilot light, but what is the purpose of that? Is it somehow controlling the amount of heat generated?

On Sunday, January 4, 2015 9:24:39 PM UTC-5, Tyler Wood wrote:
First off, let me thank you all for the incredible amount of help your responses have been! Especially the warnings about only using it when I can be there to ensure the pilot light is on.

As requested, here is a picture of the front.

http://imgur.com/Wy6fikX

I bought a long lighter as recommended and will try to light the pilot light now and I'll let you know how it goes =)

I guess what I'm still unsure of is what the internal valve does -- Some have said it regulates the size of the pilot light, but what is the purpose of that? Is it somehow controlling the amount of heat generated?

From what I see, the internal valve you're talking about is the only thing
that determines if the burner is lit or not. Is there any other control?
If not, then yes it would regulate the gas from min to max. You definitely
don't want it too low, where it runs the risk of somehow going out from a
wind gust, etc.

Okay, pilot light is lit and burning. I've set the internal valve to fully open, as the closing it all would kill the pilot light. The main gas connection is as open as I can get it without really forcing it (only about a quarter rotation).

Any idea of how long it would take to feel heat, or if there is anything else required of me? I've looked all over and haven't seen any other dials or the like. All I can tell that has changed is that the pilot light is burning. It's been about 5 min and no noticeable heat to it.

On Sun, 4 Jan 2015 18:06:48 -0800 (PST), trader_4
wrote:

On Sunday, January 4, 2015 7:27:28 PM UTC-5, Oren wrote:
On Sun, 4 Jan 2015 18:13:16 -0600, "Terry Coombs"
wrote:

hrhoffman is tight , it's technically a space heater , and a big one .

OK , when you open the main gas valve , you should have gas coming out the
pilot - the small thing you circled . The valve inside the heater is the
main burner valve , and you can regulate the flame size with it .
THIS HEATER HAS NO SAFETY SHUTOFFS !! IF THE FLAME GOES OUT YOU'RE GOING
TO BE POURING GAS INTO THE ROOM , AND YOU WILL EITHER BLOW UP THE BUILDING
OR DIE FROM THE GAS . DO NOT BURN THIS HEATER WHILE SLEEPING OR WHILE NOT AT
HOME !!

+100

His heater is at least vented outside. My grandfather had a ceramic
faced small space heater. Turn the valve open and light it. Never
left it on when not present in the home. His wasn't even vented
outside.

OP show us a picture of the front...

From what I see so far, it looks like a very old space heater, with
as someone pointed out, no safety devices at all. I don't even see
any thermostatically controlled gas valve. Looks like it's all on or
all off. And if it goes out for some reason, gas will continue to flow.
Personally, if I was stuck in some remote cabin and had to use it one time,
I would, while awake and watching it. I would not use it for regular use
or leave it on when going to sleep, etc. Not only is it lacking safety
devices, but being old, more prone to problems too. And check the vent.

My guess this heater is circa mid 1950s. Ceramic faced. Never to be
allowed without _constant_ supervision and observation.

Back then they took some "chill" out of the room. Never trusted. We
dried wet blue jeans, clothes near them in winter. I'm almost sure
this is a ceramic faced heater with many limitations; compared to
today.

Do you think the OP will come back and tell us ?

@Oren, OP is here and giving progress along the way -- going on about 20 minutes of having it lit and still no real heat, but I must admit the top feels slightly warm.

If the main valve was open, you should be able to hear the flame and you should have heat in a couple of minutes, so something is definitely not right!!!!

Tyler Wood wrote:
Okay, pilot light is lit and burning. I've set the internal valve to
fully open, as the closing it all would kill the pilot light. The
main gas connection is as open as I can get it without really forcing
it (only about a quarter rotation).

Any idea of how long it would take to feel heat, or if there is
anything else required of me? I've looked all over and haven't seen
any other dials or the like. All I can tell that has changed is that
the pilot light is burning. It's been about 5 min and no noticeable
heat to it.

OK , the valve INSIDE the heater should control the main burner , not the
pilot . You'll note that that valve comes after the tubing that feeds the
pilot . If you're talking about the one that has a slotted screw , that is
the pilot regulator valve . The burner valve is the one that's similar to
the main supply valve , and turning it to line up parallel to the pipe opens
it .

--
Snag

On Sun, 4 Jan 2015 18:33:39 -0800 (PST), Tyler Wood
wrote:

Okay, pilot light is lit and burning. I've set the internal
valve to fully open, as the closing it all would kill the pilot light.
The main gas connection is as open as I can get it without really
forcing it (only about a quarter rotation).

Any idea of how long it would take to feel heat, or if there is
anything else required of me? I've looked all over and haven't seen any
other dials or the like. All I can tell that has changed is that the
pilot light is burning. It's been about 5 min and no noticeable heat to
it.

-----

That piece right behind the pilot light appears to be the main burner.
It looks to have numerous holes on top, which would mean a small flame
comes out of each hole. (similar to a gas range). You should see hlame
along that piece, or you wont feel any heat. Just look at it.

To me, that internal valve looks to be no more than a gas shutoff valve,
but I could be wrong. Maybe you have it set the wrong way, but if the
pilot goes out, then I guess that wont work. In that case, I dont know
what to tell you. There almost has to be some sort of internal
thermostat, or the heater would never shut off, and it could get
wayyyyyy to hot in the house.

One one pic. it looks like there is a door one one side. Look in there
for some sort of control. Or does the front panel lift off? (I saw the
pic of the front, and yea, I have seen those space heaters years ago).
Look UNDER that front panel too!

But you cant have a heater without some sort of control, or it will burn
all the time. Maybe it even has a means to shut off the gas if the
pilot goes off, but that can not be seen from the photos.

I'm trying to remember back 40+ years to the stove we had in that rental
house, and even though the stove looked different, it was somewhat
similar. It seems to me there was a control in panel on the side!

*Take a picture of what's inside that side door, and post that too.

I'm wondering of there WAS an electric cord at one time and it came off.
Be sure to look UNDER the stove. Or maybe it needs an external
thermostat, and that's gone. IT MAY NEED ELECTRICITY TO OPERATE AN
INTERNAL (or missing external) THERMOSTAT.

Cant you phone your landlord and ask about it???? Even if he's out of
town, most people have a cellphone these days.

BTW: I like the looks of the decorative plate (piece on the wall around
the chimney pipe).

One other thing, I'd remove your coax ethernet cable from inside the
stove or it may melt. Not sure why you have it routed thru the stove.

One last thing. Is there a name tag and model number on it? Look
everywhere, especially on the back and in the side panel. Maybe you can
google up some more info. There should be some sort of identification.

On Sun, 4 Jan 2015 18:33:39 -0800 (PST), Tyler Wood
wrote:

Okay, pilot light is lit and burning. I've set the internal valve to fully open, as the closing it all would kill the pilot light. The main gas connection is as open as I can get it without really forcing it (only about a quarter rotation).

Any idea of how long it would take to feel heat, or if there is anything else required of me? I've looked all over and haven't seen any other dials or the like. All I can tell that has changed is that the pilot light is burning. It's been about 5 min and no noticeable heat to it.

Did the burner ignite with the pilot started and the gas valve fully
open. Thanks for the front view. We still cannot see if the heater has
ceramic in front (behind the metal cover). It may not matter at this
point. Looks like heat comes from the top vent.

If the burner did not light or create heat - it may need cleaning,
itself. It may mean turning off the gas again and brush the holes in
the burner. Think of a outdoor gas grill with clogged holes in the
burners from rust, etc.

Poke a wire or gun cleaning wire brush into each hole in the burner.
Rust, cob webs, etc. may be restricting gas flow through the burner.

If it is cleaned. the burner should flame up and give you heat.

Let us now.

wrote:
If the main valve was open, you should be able to hear the flame and
you should have heat in a couple of minutes, so something is
definitely not right!!!!

I wonder if the main jet is plugged ? From what he's posted , the OP
probably shouldn't investigate further than turning valves . Not trying to
be derogatory , but some people just don't have The Knack .

--
Snag

On Sun, 04 Jan 2015 15:59:27 -0800, Oren wrote:

On Sun, 4 Jan 2015 15:26:18 -0800 (PST), Tyler Wood
wrote:

Hello all,

In my struggle to find somewhere affordable and convenient to live, I decided to forego some 'luxuries' like central heat/air, after all the weather is pretty mild where I live.

We've hit a bit of a cold spell though, and my 100 year old windows offer no help to the dinky electrical space heater I thought would suffice, so I'm looking at this old natural gas furnace that's been sitting in the corner of my room and wishing I had asked my landlord about it before he left for a while.

Pictures:
http://imgur.com/a/OJdKp

There is no electrical cord involved (though an ethernet cable can be seen in some pictures)

My inclination (assuming no one talks me out of it, is to open up the main gas valve, and fiddle with the little internal valve while trying to light the pilot light, but after that I have no idea what to do or expect, so any insight is appreciated.

It looks to me the pilot light is out, the gas valve is closed
(perpendicular to the line) The valve handle should be parallel to the
pipe.

Open the valve part way and see if the pilot light fires up.

Don't poke yer eye out.
Looks like it is an OLD unit with no thermocouple or any other flame
sensor, so never leave the house without shutting off the gas, in case
the pilot light goes out.

Newer units have a gas control valve with a button that needs to be
pushed/held to light the pilot, and if the pilot goes out the gas is
shut off.

I am on the page of contacting the landlord with the specific message the ambient temperature of your apt is "x" and you will need it to be "y" His alternatives are to call a furnace repair tech to light the antique and show you how to operate, or replace with any heating technology from the current century, or you take matters into your hands and bill him , or you consider breaking the lease through whatever provisions your state/city have for slumlords.

On Sunday, January 4, 2015 8:52:47 PM UTC-6, Tyler Wood wrote:
@Oren, OP is here and giving progress along the way -- going on about 20 minutes of having it lit and still no real heat, but I must admit the top feels slightly warm.

Tyler, the thing you have labelled/circled "i can turn this", needs to be turned 90 degrees towards you to be fully open for the main burner feed. And if it lights...never leave the room!

On Sun, 04 Jan 2015 23:08:14 -0500, wrote:

Looks like it is an OLD unit with no thermocouple or any other flame
sensor, so never leave the house without shutting off the gas, in case
the pilot light goes out.

Newer units have a gas control valve with a button that needs to be
pushed/held to light the pilot, and if the pilot goes out the gas is
shut off.

This has me confused. That pilot fitting is tapped right into the steel
reducer fitting, coming from the gas supply. That does not look
original. I've never seen such a thing!!!!

Yet, the OP said that if he shuts off that 'internal' gas valve, which
is AFTER the pilot, the pilot wont stay lit. That makes no sense to me.
That internal valve should only supply the main burner with gas.

Either way, there is no known control. There HAS to be a control of
some sort. You cant just leave the thing burning full blast in any
temperature. Without a control, it would continue to burn full blast
even if the weather warmed up outdoors, and could make the house so hot
it could cause a fire or at least start to melt and damage things, if no
one shut it off. Antique or not, they couldn't have been that stupid to
design it without some sort of control, even in the 1940's (which I'd
estimate it to be).

I'm thinking the OP is missing the control. I still think it's inside
that side door panel. There may even be a pilot shutdown device in case
it goes out. Otherwise why would the pilot go off when the main valve
is shut off.

I wish the OP would post the make and model of this heater, as well as a
photo inside that side door.

Using Google, and going to IMAGES, I searched for "old natural gas
heater". I did not see one that matched the front of it.
I did find this ebay page which has lots of pics of old heaters. Some
of them are just fun to look at.....
http://www.ebay.com/bhp/antique-gas-heater

Then I found this one.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/VINTAGE-GAS-...M-HEATER-13000
-60000-BTU-HR-GARAGE-/371224992275

That's identical or very similar to the one I had years ago in my rented
house. So now I know I had a "Monogram" brand heater.
That brings back some memories! Those ceramic tiles got red hot and
added a nice glow at night.

Hey! It worked!

Sorry for the delay, I left to go to dinner (but I turned the gas off first!).

I read through all the responses and the insistence that there must be some burner control led me to spend a few minutes running my hands all around it to search for anything else. After not finding anything, I decided to experiment more with the one control I did find inside the panel.

The little valve in there -- when it is turned all the way pointing towards me does indeed turn the burner off, but at an intermediate angle I could hear a hissing from inside the vent, so I stuck my lighter in there and it all lit up.

Thanks for all the words of caution though, I'll only run this while I'm awake and get my room nice and toasty before turning all the valves to off and falling asleep.

For some of the other questions -- no make or model, this apt is quite old (early 19xx) and I'd imagine so is this space heater. Also, the thing is one solid unit, nothing comes apart, only the one little door opens. Lastly, there is a large ceramic plate in the front of it that you can see through the front grill. And oh yeah, the ethernet cord, it wasn't routed through, but since I never anticipated using the thing I was not cautious about what cluttered up around it. It's all cleared now though.

Pictu http://imgur.com/lVdH1v8

On Sun, 4 Jan 2015 21:41:51 -0800 (PST), Tyler Wood
wrote:

Hey! It worked!

snip due to long line length

Pictu http://imgur.com/lVdH1v8

Great!!!!

I can see from your pictures that this is an old apt. Of course, that
is not bad. I like the look of the old WIDE woodwork and like the plate
around the chimney, its decorative. Kind of reminds me of my
grandmothers's house from when I was a kid.

The heater has probably been there since the bldg was new. The ceramic
is not visible in your pics, but that is how they were often made.
There is likely a MICA window over it.

Apparently that inside valve /IS/ the control. I wonder if it would
shut off when the room temp gets to a certain warmth.

There has to be a way to open it, there may be screws on the back, and
the whole outer shell (enclosure) comes off. But you dont need to do
that now. I'd think that there would be a label somewhere on it. Back
then (like now) they want to advertise their product. But maybe someone
removed it. I'd suspect it on the rear, since it's not on the front.
It looks to me like someone braze welded that door hinge. The shiny
brass with white coating (flux residue) around it.

Anyhow, it works and you're warm, just be careful with it. And I'd
still ask your landlord what he knows about it when you see him. He
might know more.....

If anyone happens across a web photo of this same heater, please post
the URL. I'm curious what brand it is.....


Note: That Monogram brand heater I said is the same as the one I used to
have, has multiple photos on the ebay page, and the cover was removed,
and exposes a temperature sensor above the heat exchanger. But that
heater has more for controls and a safety shutoff. (and is likely about
10 to 20 years newer.... I estimate 1940s).

On 1/5/2015 12:41 AM, Tyler Wood wrote:
Hey! It worked!

Sorry for the delay, I left to go to dinner (but I turned the gas off
first!).

I read through all the responses and the insistence that there must
be some burner control led me to spend a few minutes running my hands
all around it to search for anything else. After not finding
anything, I decided to experiment more with the one control I did
find inside the panel.

The little valve in there -- when it is turned all the way pointing
towards me does indeed turn the burner off, but at an intermediate
angle I could hear a hissing from inside the vent, so I stuck my
lighter in there and it all lit up.

Thanks for all the words of caution though, I'll only run this while
I'm awake and get my room nice and toasty before turning all the
valves to off and falling asleep.

For some of the other questions -- no make or model, this apt is
quite old (early 19xx) and I'd imagine so is this space heater. Also,
the thing is one solid unit, nothing comes apart, only the one little
door opens. Lastly, there is a large ceramic plate in the front of it
that you can see through the front grill. And oh yeah, the ethernet
cord, it wasn't routed through, but since I never anticipated using
the thing I was not cautious about what cluttered up around it. It's
all cleared now though.

Pictu http://imgur.com/lVdH1v8


Make all of us safety conscious types feel better and don't use that
thing much at all until and unless you go to your favorite big box store
and get a carbon monoxide detector for the room where your space heater
is. Just because it is supposedly vented to the outside doesn't mean
that you can't have problems with CO, especially with such old hardware.
In any case, if you find yourself getting at all drowsy, nauseated,
confused, dizzy, or otherwise feeling unwell, turn the gas completely
off, open the windows and doors, and go outside for at least 1/2 hour
and let the room thoroughly ventilate. If you don't feel better after
that time or are feeling worse, seek emergency medical care. Better
safe than dead.

On 01/04/2015 11:41 PM, Tyler Wood wrote:
Hey! It worked!

....

....

The little valve in there -- when it is turned all the way pointing
towards me does indeed turn the burner off, but at an intermediate
angle I could hear a hissing from inside the vent, so I stuck my
lighter inthere and it all lit up.

....

Pictu http://imgur.com/lVdH1v8

Didn't have time before...that's an old "wild pilot" setup--didn't see
if you ever said where you're located but no jurisdiction I'm aware of
allows those any longer--here, if a service tech even sees one he's
_required_ to disable it immediately until it has a safety pilot installed.

I've one of early 40s vintage in the well house that I retrofitted a few
years back. By watching eBay I managed to do it all for very reasonable
price of only about $25 overall including the valve, a new pilot
assembly and thermocouple.

I'd _strongly_ recommend doing the same there--mount the actual valve
itself on solid pipe outside the heater where the present flex starts.

I'll try to find time to take and post some pictures of the retrofit
here as guidance. It's not difficult and adds a tremendous amount of
safety.

Here's the type you can use...this is 3/8", not sure whether that's a
3/8" or 1/2" line but 3/8" should be plenty of capacity for that heater...

http://www.ebay.com/itm/White-Rodges-Gas-Safety-Control-Valve-764-208-3-8-x-3-8-Pipe-/111561466385?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item19f994 e211

Need a pilot light assembly and thermocouple to go with it and you're done.

--

On 01/04/2015 10:08 PM, wrote:

[snip]

Newer units have a gas control valve with a button that needs to be
pushed/held to light the pilot, and if the pilot goes out the gas is
shut off.


My NG furnace (installed April 2013) has no pilot light. Instead is uses
an electrically heated surface to light the gas. It glows orange.

--
Mark Lloyd
http://notstupid.us

"If 50 million people believe a foolish thing, it is still a foolish
thing" [Anatole France]

On Monday, January 5, 2015 11:38:43 AM UTC-6, Mark Lloyd wrote:
On 01/04/2015 10:08 PM, wrote:

[snip]

Newer units have a gas control valve with a button that needs to be
pushed/held to light the pilot, and if the pilot goes out the gas is
shut off.


My NG furnace (installed April 2013) has no pilot light. Instead is uses
an electrically heated surface to light the gas. It glows orange.
Mark Lloyd

That would require it to be plugged-in...and a cheap retro-fit was suggested for safety.

On Mon, 05 Jan 2015 10:41:33 -0500, Retirednoguilt
wrote:

In any case, if you find yourself getting at all drowsy, nauseated,
confused, dizzy, or otherwise feeling unwell, turn the gas completely

A lot of people felt that way on New Years Eve, but it had nothing to do
with any sort of heater, or gas LOL

On a serious note, the OP could test to make sure the chimney is working
by simply holding a lit cigarette in front of the chimney pipe. (Yea,
you dont have to smoke it, if that offends you)... If the smoke is
sucked up the pipe, you know the chimney is working.
A low tech way to check a chimney, which has been used for ages....

On Mon, 05 Jan 2015 15:09:29 -0600, wrote:

On Mon, 05 Jan 2015 10:41:33 -0500, Retirednoguilt
wrote:

In any case, if you find yourself getting at all drowsy, nauseated,
confused, dizzy, or otherwise feeling unwell, turn the gas completely

A lot of people felt that way on New Years Eve, but it had nothing to do
with any sort of heater, or gas LOL

On a serious note, the OP could test to make sure the chimney is working
by simply holding a lit cigarette in front of the chimney pipe. (Yea,
you dont have to smoke it, if that offends you)... If the smoke is
sucked up the pipe, you know the chimney is working.
A low tech way to check a chimney, which has been used for ages....
Or stuff a burning twist of newspaper into the burner - if the
chimney has a good draft it will ROAR and suck the fire up the pipe.

OP here again. After it started burning I began wondering about the state of the chimney and some google searches suggested the CO could be a problem in inadequately vented natural gas burners (especially where the burner may be dirty or otherwise unable of fully burning the gas). After about 30 minutes I noticed I was feeling dizzy, so I opened my window, turned on a fan, turned off the heater and went outside for a bit.

A while later, after getting sufficiently paranoid, I remembered a CO alarm that I had neglected to set up (won't make that mistake again) and turned that on, tested it and set it in the room with the furnace while I went outside again.

The alarm never went off, so I put on some winter clothes, bundled up and went to sleep with a window open and the fan running. I suppose the overall draftiness of my old windows was a boon in this situation. Not the best night of sleep I've ever had, but I'm glad I caught it when I did.

Probably preaching to the choir but get CO detectors! Could have saved myself a headache and a lot of worry had I taken the time to set mine up.

On Mon, 5 Jan 2015 14:28:45 -0800 (PST), Tyler Wood
wrote:

OP here again. After it started burning I began wondering about the state of the chimney and some google searches suggested the CO could be a problem in inadequately vented natural gas burners (especially where the burner may be dirty or otherwise unable of fully burning the gas). After about 30 minutes I noticed I was feeling dizzy, so I opened my window, turned on a fan, turned off the heater and went outside for a bit.

A while later, after getting sufficiently paranoid, I remembered a CO alarm that I had neglected to set up (won't make that mistake again) and turned that on, tested it and set it in the room with the furnace while I went outside again.

The alarm never went off, so I put on some winter clothes, bundled up and went to sleep with a window open and the fan running. I suppose the overall draftiness of my old windows was a boon in this situation. Not the best night of sleep I've ever had, but I'm glad I caught it when I did.

Probably preaching to the choir but get CO detectors! Could have saved myself a headache and a lot of worry had I taken the time to set mine up.



Makes me wonder if your pipe venting is leaking inside the home.
Inspect for holes or leaks around pipe connections. Ensure the pipe
venting outside is not blocked by something like a bird nest. Not sure
what things look like on the outside - post a photo of the vent pipe
stack on the outside. Test around the pipe for drafts with an incense
or smoke pencil. Candles may work. Checking for a draft; especially
near the pipe and the heater connection.

I did notice your gas line to the heater had a galvanized fitting, I
would think it should be a black iron fitting.

bob_villa wrote:
On Monday, January 5, 2015 11:38:43 AM UTC-6, Mark Lloyd wrote:
On 01/04/2015 10:08 PM, wrote:

[snip]

Newer units have a gas control valve with a button that needs to be
pushed/held to light the pilot, and if the pilot goes out the gas is
shut off.


My NG furnace (installed April 2013) has no pilot light. Instead is
uses an electrically heated surface to light the gas. It glows
orange.
Mark Lloyd

That would require it to be plugged-in...and a cheap retro-fit was
suggested for safety.

There are units that use a thermopile to power a gas valve (with all usual
safeties) thru a thermostat . Best bet for safe controllable heat ,
especially since he is vented assumes vent is functional ... .

--
Snag

On Mon, 5 Jan 2015 14:28:45 -0800 (PST), Tyler Wood
wrote:

OP here again. After it started burning I began wondering about
the state of the chimney and some google searches suggested the CO
could be a problem in inadequately vented natural gas burners
(especially where the burner may be dirty or otherwise unable of fully
burning the gas). After about 30 minutes I noticed I was feeling dizzy,
so I opened my window, turned on a fan, turned off the heater and went
outside for a bit.


-----

If you plan to use the heater again, test that chinmey. If you dont
have a cigarette, light a piece of paper and see if the smoke gets
sucked into the pipe. (Have a pail of water to extinguish the paper).

If the chimney is blocked, dont use the heater till it's fixed. If not,
I think you need to talk to your landlord for a newer heater.

You really did not have to leave a window open of fan on all night. A
half hour with open windows and fan should have aired out the house.

If the CO detector did not go off, I dont think the heater was leaking
fumes, but it's hard to say.

You might be better off just getting an electric blanket and one of
those small electric ceramic space heaters, since you only need this
occasionally.

On Monday, January 5, 2015 5:52:53 PM UTC-6, Terry Coombs wrote:
bob_villa wrote:
On Monday, January 5, 2015 11:38:43 AM UTC-6, Mark Lloyd wrote:

My NG furnace (installed April 2013) has no pilot light. Instead is
uses an electrically heated surface to light the gas. It glows
orange.
Mark Lloyd

That would require it to be plugged-in...and a cheap retro-fit was
suggested for safety.

There are units that use a thermopile to power a gas valve (with all usual
safeties) thru a thermostat . Best bet for safe controllable heat ,
especially since he is vented assumes vent is functional ... .

Snag

But that would not be pilotless...he was talking Hot Surface Ignitor.

On Mon, 05 Jan 2015 11:38:39 -0600, Mark Lloyd wrote:

On 01/04/2015 10:08 PM, wrote:

[snip]

Newer units have a gas control valve with a button that needs to be
pushed/held to light the pilot, and if the pilot goes out the gas is
shut off.


My NG furnace (installed April 2013) has no pilot light. Instead is uses
an electrically heated surface to light the gas. It glows orange.

All newer furnaces and even gas water heaters use that now. Even the
self igniting gas ranges. It saves gas. THe pilot light is small, but
it works all the time. That does eat up fuel over time. In the summer,
I always shut off the pilot on my older furnace. No sense wasting gas,
and adding heat to an already too hot house. In winter, that little
pilot light adds to the heat, so it's not that big a deal. I do like
the self ignitors though.

Some use a heated coil, others use a spark gap. The gas kitchen ranges
that snap, use the spark gap. (Basically a spark plug sort of device).