my gas fire has 'cotton wool' like stuff under the coals - is this OK ?

[paul...@gmail.com]

please help before i light it ???

we bought a house with a normal gas fire in the lounge - now its
getting colder I want to light it but decided to remove the coals to
have a hoover up of old dust etc first and saw what looks like a thick
layer of cotton wool under the coals !!!

Is this normal and okay to light

Its a Jetmaster gas fire with a gas pipe going in and a knob
underneath saying OFF PILOT and HIGH as the 3 options

[Andrew Mawson]

<paul...@gmail.com> wrote in message
news:1193337419....@o3g2000hsb.googlegroups.com...

Sounds like Kaowool, which is a high temp insulation used to difuse
the gas and bed the 'coals'. Some DFE fires use a sand bed for the
same purpose. If you are concerned you should consult the
manufacturers, as information obtained here is worth precisely what
you paid for it !

AWEM

[Ed Sirett]

It sounds like you have a display type grate burner.

You really should leave servicing of these to a pro (people who know my
posts won't flame me for that as they know I support competent d-i-y).

The cotton wool is glass wool and is an integral part of the fire.
Yes you can give things a clean up, watch out that you don't hoover up and
vermiculite which might be lying around.

Ideally you service it in accordance with the instructions which you can
get from the makers. Their name should be on it somewhere.

You will need to perform check of the flue flow and for spillage of fumes,
during operation, using smoke matches and pellets, under worst case
ventilation.

If any of the above leaves you wondering what I'm on about get a pro.
open fires (gas or otherwise) are not as inherently safe as modern
boilers.

HTH

--
Ed Sirett - Property maintainer and registered gas fitter.
The FAQ for uk.diy is at http://www.diyfaq.org.uk
Gas fitting FAQ http://www.makewrite.demon.co.uk/GasFitting.html
Sealed CH FAQ http://www.makewrite.demon.co.uk/SealedCH.html
Choosing a Boiler FAQ http://www.makewrite.demon.co.uk/BoilerChoice.html

[paul...@gmail.com]

Thanks guys - Im not trying to service it - just literally was going
to hoover up any old dust and c r a p lying around. Now I'll just
leave it and turn it on. Just wanted to be sure this cotton woll stuff
was meant to be there as it seems weird to me

Thanks

[Mogga]

If you're worried then get your gas stuff serviced and check it is
safe before you use it. You can ask the chap who comes out about it
then.
--
http://www.orderonlinepickupinstore.co.uk
Ah fetch it yourself if you can't wait for delivery
http://www.freedeliveryuk.co.uk
Or get it delivered for free

[John Stumbles]

On Thu, 25 Oct 2007 23:57:59 -0700, paulmhood wrote:

> Thanks guys - Im not trying to service it ...
> ... I'll just leave it and turn it on.

but if you have no record of it having been serviced recently before you
bought the house how do you know if it's safe to use?

--
John Stumbles