primitive's husband has a horrible holiday

[franksolich]

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=287x8222

Oh my; from the do-it-yourself forum on Skins's island.

Vinca  (1000+ posts)      Fri Jan-01-10 05:54 PM
THE VINDICTIVE PRIMITIVE
Original message

My Husband's Horrible Holiday

Hello DIYers. I just found you and thought I would share the story of my husband's miserable lot in life. It all started a couple of days ago when I came home from the grocery store, walked into the living room and smelled a fire.

Yelled at my husband, who was occupied in the kitchen, and we soon determined the pipe to the pellet stove was plugged with something and it was burning. We shut down the stove, checked the exposed chimney in the attic and decided all would be well if we replaced the flexible metal pipe that goes from the stove up the chimney.

So off he went. $15 a foot for the stuff after a search of the tri-state area to locate it. The next day I was gone in the morning and when I arrived back, there was my husband, head-to-toe soot with bleeding cuts on his hands from the edge of the metal piping (old and new).

I found him in the garage swearing at the new pipe, unable to slide the old connector into the new pipe. Every attempt seemed to produce more cuts and more swearing. We dragged the whole business into the kitchen, considering it was only 25 degrees outside, and, eventually, got the parts together. It was a shame I somehow whacked my husband's nose with an end of the pipe.

By the time we were done he looked like Mickey Rourke in "The Wrestler." It took a couple of more hours to get the pipe/stove/chimney assembly together, caulked and insulated and another 45 minutes to sweep and mop up the crud in the living room.

Today, I'm happy to report, we're back in business. Of course, today is "install the new dishwasher" day. Two trips to Home Depot so far and still haven't got the right parts. Tomorrow is likely to be another glorious day at the Vinca household.

ARRGGHHHHHHHHH!!!!!

Well, when bad things happen to primitives, God probably smiles.

Warpy  (1000+ posts)        Fri Jan-01-10 08:19 PM
THE DEFROCKED WARPED PRIMITIVE
Response to Original message

1. If you can tap the outside of the pipe and hear an obstruction just remove the existing pipe and take it out in the yard and knock the obstruction out of it with a broom handle or something. It's a messy job but cheaper and easier than replacing the pipe. Besides, you want to know what was in there. You might need a screen on top of the chimney to prevent birds and varmints from entering and building nests.

[crockspot]

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=287x8222

Oh my; from the do-it-yourself forum on Skins's island.

Well, when bad things happen to primitives, God probably smiles.

I can't speak for God, but it made me smile. 

[Carl]

They do seem to make life difficult for themselves for some reason.

Take the pipe down and clean it out,put it back up and make sure the stove burns hot enough to keep it clean.

[BlueStateSaint]

make sure the stove burns hot enough to keep it clean.

The best way to do that?  Burn your computer in the stove.  Modem and monitor, too.

[GOBUCKS]

I've never heard of anyone replacing a flue due to it becoming obstructed. Doesn't it make more sense to remove the obstruction? On the other hand, The Wrestler was a great movie. And Pam is still on chemo.

[JohnnyReb]

If it's the "flexible" pipe I'm thinking of, it doesn't last long so DUmmie will have the thrill of doing this again soon.

[diesel driver]

If it's the "flexible" pipe I'm thinking of, it doesn't last long so DUmmie will have the thrill of doing this again soon.

I'm wondering why he used flexible pipe in the first place.  That stuff is dangerous....

Spend the money and get a prefab chimney kit.  The pipe for it is insulated to withstand high temperatures, will last for years, and cost about $20/ft,vs $15/ft this DUmbass paid for an inferior product that he'll have to replace in about 2....   

[diesel driver]

I've never heard of anyone replacing a flue due to it becoming obstructed. Doesn't it make more sense to remove the obstruction? On the other hand, The Wrestler was a great movie. And Pam is still on chemo.

I'm surprised he didn't let the house burn down waiting for some government program to come along and replace the pipe for him....   

[SSG Snuggle Bunny]

They should be ashamed of themselves.

Don't they know DIY'ers take money away from the union laborers that rightfully deserve it?

[franksolich]

They should be ashamed of themselves.

Don't they know DIY'ers take money away from the union laborers that rightfully deserve it?

That's my constant complaint about the primitives.

After all, the primitives allege to be for the working man, most especially the one carrying a union card.

So the primitives should be more than happy to send business their way.

But no.....

[The Village Idiot]

weird things can happen to anyone. The DUmmies just make everything worse with DUmminess.

I remember once we all smelled gas and we pulled the stove away from the wall and the flexible pipe that carries the natural gas broke in 2 and was soon on fire. We managed to turrn the gas off. thank goodness.

Another time we heard a loud BANG! and there was a hole in the kitchen ceiling. Someone had left a PAM spray can on the stove, right above the pilot light. We should have informed NASA or the Pentagon about this.

Another time while cooking bacon I got interested in something on TV. The pan caught fire and I.... yes, me.... stuck it in the sink and turned the water on. Let us just say the ceiling went from off-white to black and gray.

Another time someone outside was listening to a boombox plugged into the kitchen and someone shut the sliding glass door. This electrified the frame and metal of the sliding glass door. How weird is that?

Another time I had an old B/W TV and as I have several sisters and a brother I hardly ever get to pick what to watch on the big TV in the living room. But it was old and soon the cord came apart and caught on fire. I ran outside and turned off the power. Oddly the switch was on the porch, then I pulled the burning cord out of the plug with a t-shirt.

[franksolich]

Thanks, FGL, sir.

And everybody seems to think franksolich is paranoid about natural-gas stoves.

[GOBUCKS]

everybody seems to think franksolich is paranoid about natural-gas stoves.

That's hardly speculation, is it? If you read a short story that ends with the protagonist being blown to bits by an
exploding stove, you don't have to check the byline to know the author.

[Chris_]

Don't be paranoid about natural gas.  You can smell when something is wrong.

I wish I had natural gas service here.  I hate that electric stove.

[franksolich]

Don't be paranoid about natural gas.  You can smell when something is wrong.

I wish I had natural gas service here.  I hate that electric stove.

Au contraire, madam.

I love electric stoves.

Electric stoves don't explode.

[sofa king]

flex pipe is perfectly fine for venting a pellet stove.  been on the original install here for 6 years.  love the pellet stove.

but then i installed it right, and if you burn the stove proper it produces almost no ash.  i'd bet i bang a cupful out of the 3 1/2" pipe run each year during  normal maintenance.  never close to an obstruction.

oh, and dummy?  when you are working with metal?  wear gloves, dipshit...







 

[happy1ga]

Frank,

On this we agree totally. I have always hated to live in places that had gas stoves and hot water heaters. I know they are cheaper and more efficient, but I had a friend whose stove had a gas leak and she and her hubby & babies all died in their sleep. True, this was nearly 20 yrs ago, and things might be much safer now, but I still feel distrustful.

[GOBUCKS]

Frank,

On this we agree totally. I have always hated to live in places that had gas stoves and hot water heaters. I know they are cheaper and more efficient, but I had a friend whose stove had a gas leak and she and her hubby & babies all died in their sleep. True, this was nearly 20 yrs ago, and things might be much safer now, but I still feel distrustful.

I think we may soon learn that propane camp stoves are even worse.

[kenth]

We once had a gas range break at one of the range top control knobs, thus lighting up and shooting fire straight out the front of the stove. However, we also have had electric range elements blow. The top element wasn't too bad, it just blew a hole in our best pan. The oven element, however, sent so much molten element and sparks all over that some made it outside the oven and onto the floor. The range top was unexpected. I should have known the oven element was going to go, as it had a slightly brighter spot the day before when we used it.

So, either gas or electric, the best safety method is prevention through maintenance. We much prefer cooking with gas. Having just moved, we have a new natural gas stove to install. I haven't found the right size gas line locally yet, and am trying to be as safe as possible when I go to hook it up.

As for the dummie, I can't imagine tearing out the stove pipe when it was just an obstruction. We had it happen once with a wood burning stove. Clear the obstruction and burn the stove properly. If need be, call a chimney sweep to clean the flue. Unless the pipe was actually damaged, they just spent money and beat themselves up.