The Chief and I spent Veterans Day weekend at the cabin. When we arrived, we started the usual cold-weather opening routine: bring in the groceries, turn on the water and heat. The propane heater gave him some trouble; first the pilot didn't want to light, then the blower didn't want to start, etc. The capper was when smoke suddenly started billowing up from the back of the thing, and it's mounted on a wood-paneled wall! That's when things really started getting exciting - the smoke alarms started going off, as did the alarm system, then the phone rang - the security company checking on us - while the Chief called the gas company to get some "immediate" help. After we opened all the windows, it took several ear-splitting minutes to dissipate enough smoke for the bells, whistles and sirens to quit, and now it's only 54 degrees in the great room. Brrr! Me, I retired to the bedroom, where the baseboard heater slowly warmied the room (64 degrees sure beats 54!) while the Chief showed the gas company guy where everything is.
Turned out the problem was the new siding, or rather, its installation. The installers didn't account for the additional thickness, so the heater vent no longer fit properly, causing all the problems. The gas company ordered & installed a new vent pipe, the siding company redid the siding around the vent (it started to melt in one place!), and now we're keeping an eagle eye on that heater when we use it!
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