Are gas wall heaters safe?

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My sister went from a regular wood burning fire place to converting it to a gas one--and maybe while at least once there was a log burning in it, or maybe it was never used for wood--I'm very forgetful, here!--she complained that the piping & valves emitted a lot of leaks, enough that the work had to be done over, and then the thing after one or two tries became never again ever used (a rather expensive investment) since no one could tolerate the odor, or still winced over the CO-2, or moreover, the fire hazardous-potential...

Oh, but then, the nuisance of having to clean out my fireplace & not wanting the furnace on & relying on it & having to bunk the entire night in the den caused my old fashioned fireplace to also fall into eternal disuse, right down to a bunch of logs somebody threw away down my block to have been picked up after I promised to stop by them one night after work to toss them in the trunk of my car, or perhaps go after them w/ my daughter's wagon--they were right by a light pole, she & would pass by while riding her bike, she can finally ride w/o the training wheels!

So natural gas has to be carefully piped in & installed "by the service of experts" to be safe, to the point where only the water heater in my folks' house ever used it... The furnace was oil and is STILL 'natural crude oil', while everything else there is electric...

-- Dave
 
I agree with Sudsmaster. Your heater clearly has multiple problems despite the landlord's claims. Your landlord might be lying OR he might be repeating what he was told by incompetent service people. I'd find out which company he used, offer to arrange inspection/repair yourself, and call a DIFFERENT company to come in and do the work. A properly functioning unit should be fairly unobtrusive and emit no odor at all during normal operation. But please don't let this experience be your baseline for gas heat, lol.

If you're determined to go electric, you have several options:

- Portable oil-filled electric radiators as Dustin92 advised. These are also available in baseboard configuration.

-Permanently installed version of the above attached to a wall thermostat. I believe these are available in both 120 & 240v models.

The advantage of the above over convection units is that oil-filled (aka hydronic) units hold the generated heat and dissipate it more slowly. This reduces temperature swings --> equal comfort at a lower thermostat setting --> lower electric bills.

An example of portable baseboard:

https://www.homedepot.com/p/Fahrenh...-Portable-Baseboard-Heater-FHP1500T/205164444

An alternative is to retrofit underfloor electric radiant heat. Access to the underside of the floor isn't required.

https://www.thermosoft.com/en-US/radiant-under-floor-heating/film-ultra-thin

https://www.warmyourfloor.com/radia...ating&utm_content=Electric Floor Heat - Broad

An advantage is that when floors are warm most people are comfortable at a (much?) lower thermostat setting --> (much?) lower electric bills compared to any electric system that heat the air.

The primary disadvantage is that the system is by nature slow to respond to temperature changes. There are several ways around this. One is a timer. Ex. If you know you'll need heat an hour after sundown every day, the system can start heating AT sundown so you'll not experience a temperature drop in the house.

There's a thread on this somewhere here...

Hope this helps,

Jim
 
John, Atlanta Stove Company had those all over the place back in the day. My old place in Atlanta had them. Never had a bit of trouble out of them. I used to shut off the gas and pilot in the spring, turn on the gas and relight the pilot in the fall. We had them in just about every room in the funeral home, as well.
I never heard of anyone having trouble with them and they could keep a house pretty toasty if need be. Of course, one had to keep pans of water on top to add some humidity to the air or it would get dry as a bone in the house!
 
Call your utility company and they will come out and do an inspection, free of charge to see if there is a gas leak. And many times if its an easy fix, they will take care of it on the spot. Otherwise, they will issue a report that you can provide to your landlord.

When I rented, almost every place I lived in had a gas heater of this type. One apartment that I lived in had a small gas heater that sat by itself on the floor, rather than being wall mounted. It was vented, but it was so old that it didn’t even have a pilot light, let alone a thermostat. I had to turn on the gas valve slightly and immediatley light it with a match. If I didn’t light it quick enough it would kind of jump off the floor when I lit it. The only problem I had was that if I forgot to turn it off before I went to bed it would get hot as hell. But this was a huge apt. over a 5 car garage, uninsulated, and that little gas space heater kept it nice and toasty. The winter I lived there was one of the coldest in our counties history, getting down to 15 degrees at night, which is hella cold here in my neck of the woods.
Eddie[this post was last edited: 11/26/2017-14:38]
 
Thomas, you're over-reacting to the concept of gas-powered anything.

 

I'm betting some birds found the the cap on your flue to be a nice toasty location to set up shop with constant warmth provided by the pilot flame.

 

I don't think So Cal Gas will check the flue for you, though.  They're in the gas business and that's all they care about.  Whether your gas appliances are properly vented is your problem -- or in this case, your manager's or landlord's. 

 

For many decades people have used gas for cooking, heating (that includes water), and drying laundry.  If it was as dangerous as you incorrectly think, it would have been outlawed long ago.

 

It might only cost you as much as a month's worth of electric heating to have the flue inspected and cleaned.   Gas is safe, clean burning, and cheap.  That's why it's used in most home and business heating applications. 

 

 
 
Ralph is spot on with that.

However it wouldn't hurt to have the power company check for gas leaks, in addition to calling in a HVAC company.

 

Thomas, your landlord has not made your rental unit habitable. A malfunctioning furnace that repeatedly sets off CO alarms is dangerous and potentially lethal.  I don't think any court of law would question the need to have that fixed at the landlord's expense. If the landlord won't do it, you have an implicit right to have the repairs done and deduct them from your rent. And maybe if the landlord refuses to cooperate, a judge could sentence them to stay in your apartment in the coldest part of the winter with the gas heat turned on? (Like a judge did to a slumlord in NYC some years back...)

 

California law regarding these matters is pretty inclusive, but local laws may add further landlord responsibilities.

 

Also it is illegal for a landlord to retaliate (by eviction, raising rent, harassment, etc) if you exercise your tenant rights.

 

PS-If the landlord is at all uncooperative, do everything in writing for communications about this issue, document everything, in case it does go to court.

Pertinent to this is California state law, from the Department of Consumer Affairs:

Most landlord-tenant relationships go smoothly. However, problems sometimes do arise. <span style="font-size: 12pt;">For example, what if the rental unit's furnace goes out in the middle of the winter?</span> What happens if the landlord sells the building or decides to convert it into condominiums? This section discusses these and other possible issues and problems in the landlord-tenant relationship.

REPAIRS AND HABITABILITY

<span style="font-size: 12pt;">A rental unit must be fit to live in; that is, it must be habitable. In legal terms, "habitable" means that the rental unit is fit for occupation by human beings and that it substantially complies with state and local building and health codes that materially affect tenants' health and safety.129 </span>

California law makes landlords and tenants each responsible for certain kinds of repairs, although landlords ultimately are legally responsible for assuring that their rental units are habitable.

Landlord's responsibility for repairs

Before renting a rental unit to a tenant, a landlord must make the unit fit to live in, or habitable. Additionally, while the unit is being rented, the landlord must repair problems that make the rental unit unfit to live in, or uninhabitable.

The landlord has this duty to repair because of a California Supreme Court case, called Green v. Superior Court,130 which held that all residential leases and rental agreements contain an implied warranty of habitability. <span style="font-size: 12pt;">Under the "implied warranty of habitability," the landlord is legally responsible for repairing conditions that seriously affect the rental unit's habitability.131 That is, the landlord must repair substantial defects in the rental unit and substantial failures to comply with state and local building and health codes.132</span> However, the landlord is not responsible under the implied warranty of habitability for repairing damages that were caused by the tenant or the tenant's family, guests, or pets.133

Generally, the landlord also must do maintenance work which is necessary to keep the rental unit liveable.134 Whether the landlord or the tenant is responsible for making less serious repairs is usually determined by the rental agreement.

The law is very specific as to what kinds of conditions make a rental uninhabitable. These are discussed below.

Tenant's responsibility for repairs

Tenants are required by law to take reasonable care of their rental units, as well as common areas such as hallways and outside areas. Tenants must act to keep those areas clean and undamaged. Tenants also are responsible for repair of all damage that results from their neglect or abuse, and for repair of damage caused by anyone for whom they are responsible, such as family, guests, or pets.135 Tenants' responsibilities for care and repair of the rental unit are discussed in detail below.

Conditions that make a rental unit legally uninhabitable

<span style="font-size: 12pt;">There are many kinds of defects that could make a rental unit unlivable. The implied warranty of habitability requires landlords to maintain their rental units in a condition fit for the "occupation of human beings. "136 In addition, the rental unit must "substantially comply" with building and housing code standards that materially affect tenants' health and safety.137 </span>

<span style="font-size: 12pt;">A rental unit may be considered uninhabitable (unlivable) if it contains a lead hazard that endangers the occupants or the public, or is a substandard building because, for example, a structural hazard, inadequate sanitation, or a nuisance endangers the health, life, safety, property, or welfare of the occupants or the public.138 </span>

A dwelling also may be considered uninhabitable (unlivable) if it substantially lacks any of the following:139

Effective waterproofing and weather protection of roof and exterior walls, including unbroken windows and doors.
Plumbing facilities in good working order, including hot and cold running water, connected to a sewage disposal system.
<span style="font-size: 12pt;">Gas facilities in good working order. </span>
<span style="font-size: 12pt;"> Heating facilities in good working order. </span>
An electric system, including lighting, wiring, and equipment, in good working order.
Clean and sanitary buildings, grounds, and appurtenances (for example, a garden or a detached garage), free from debris, filth, rubbish, garbage, rodents, and vermin.
Adequate trash receptacles in good repair.
Floors, stairways, and railings in good repair.

In addition to these requirements, each rental unit must have all of the following:

A working toilet, wash basin, and bathtub or shower. The toilet and bathtub or shower must be in a room which is ventilated and allows privacy.
A kitchen with a sink that cannot be made of an absorbent material such as wood.
Natural lighting in every room through windows or skylights. Windows in each room must be able to open at least halfway for ventilation, unless a fan provides mechanical ventilation.
Safe fire or emergency exits leading to a street or hallway. Stairs, hallways, and exits must be kept litter-free. Storage areas, garages, and basements must be kept free of combustible materials.140
Operable dead bolt locks on the main entry doors of rental units, and operable locking or security devices on windows.141
Working smoke detectors in all units of multi-unit buildings, such as duplexes and apartment complexes. Apartment complexes also must have smoke detectors in common stairwells.142
A locking mail box for each unit. The mail box must be consistent with the United States Postal Service standards for apartment housing mail boxes.143
Ground fault circuit interrupters for swimming pools and antisuction protections for wading pools in apartment complexes and other residential settings (but not single family residences).144

The implied warranty of habitability is not violated merely because the rental unit is not in perfect, aesthetically pleasing condition. Nor is the implied warranty of habitability violated if there are minor housing code violations, which, standing alone, do not affect habitability.145

While it is the landlord's responsibility to install and maintain the inside wiring for one telephone jack, it is unclear whether the landlord's failure to do so is a breach of the implied warranty of habitability.146

An authoritative reference book suggests two additional ways in which the implied warranty of habitability may be violated. The first is the presence of mold conditions in the rental unit that affect the livability of the unit or the health and safety of tenants. The second follows from a new law that imposes obligations on a property owner who is notified by a local health officer that the property is contaminated by methamphetamine. (See When You Have Decided to Rent, Methamphetamine Contamination.) This reference book suggests that a tenant who is damaged by this kind of documented contamination may be able to claim a breach of the implied warranty of habitability.147

Limitations on landlord's duty to keep the rental unit habitable

Even if a rental unit is unlivable because of one of the conditions listed above, a landlord may not be legally required to repair the condition if the tenant has not fulfilled the tenant's own responsibilities.

In addition to generally requiring a tenant to take reasonable care of the rental unit and common areas (see above), the law lists specific things that a tenant must do to keep the rental unit liveable.

Tenants must do all of the following

Keep the premises "as clean and sanitary as the condition of the premises permits."
Use and operate gas, electrical, and plumbing fixtures properly. (Examples of improper use include overloading electrical outlets; flushing large, foreign objects down the toilet; and allowing any gas, electrical, or plumbing fixture to become filthy.)
Dispose of trash and garbage in a clean and sanitary manner.
Not destroy, damage, or deface the premises, or allow anyone else to do so.
Not remove any part of the structure, dwelling unit, facilities, equipment, or appurtenances, or allow anyone else to do so.
Use the premises as a place to live, and use the rooms for their intended purposes. For example, the bedroom must be used as a bedroom, and not as a kitchen.148
Notify the landlord when dead bolt locks and window locks or security devices don't operate properly.149

However, a landlord may agree in writing to clean the rental unit and dispose of the trash.150

If a tenant violates these requirements in some minor way, the landlord is still responsible for providing a habitable dwelling, and may be prosecuted for violating housing code standards. If the tenant fails to do one of these required things, and the tenant’s failure has either substantially caused an unlivable condition to occur or has substantially interfered with the landlord’s ability to repair the condition, the landlord does not have to repair the condition.151 However, a tenant cannot withhold rent or has no action against the landlord for violating the implied warranty of habitability if the tenant has failed to meet these requirements.152

Responsibility for other kinds of repairs

As for less serious repairs, the rental agreement or lease may require either the tenant or the landlord to fix a particular item. Items covered by such an agreement might include refrigerators, washing machines, parking places, or swimming pools. These items are usually considered "amenities," and their absence does not make a dwelling unit unfit for living.

These agreements to repair are usually enforceable in accordance with the intent of the parties to the rental agreement or lease.153

Tenant's agreement to make repairs

The landlord and the tenant may agree in the rental agreement or lease that the tenant will perform all repairs and maintenance in exchange for lower rent.154 Such an agreement must be made in good faith: there must be a real reduction in the rent, and the tenant must intend and be able to make all the necessary repairs. When negotiating the agreement, the tenant should consider whether he or she wants to try to negotiate a cap on the amount that he or she can be required to spend making repairs. Regardless of any such agreement, the landlord is responsible for maintaining the property as required by state and local housing codes.155

 

http://www.dca.ca.gov/publications/landlordbook/problems.shtml
 
guys, thanks for all the advices.

my landlord is actually great. I'm sure that once I mention the problem, he'll immediately try to find a solution. I had an issue with ONE of the bindings, he bought 2 new ones and said he will replace 1 per month. it sounds more than fair. I wanted an electric outlet for the stove (the apartment has only gas) two days later the electrician was here to see the area and ask me exactly where I wanted the outlet. the landlord will pay. he has no problems with upgrades. I hate the laminate floor, he already said I can install the floor I want, as soon as it's reasonable (aka not gold or travertine marble) and send him the bill. same with the horrible parrot green on the living room and master bedroom walls.

he already said he's going to redo the kitchen after 1 year. (he just finished the bathroom that is 100% new and he needs some time to breath because it was expensive.) it sounds more than fair, isn't it?

I don't believe he was negligent. the gas company inspected it before turning on the gas and they found a silly thing wrong and that was enough to make him hire a professional to inspect the heater.

it happened 2 days before I moved in. I was arriving here when the gas company had just left. they inspected the heater and finally turned on the gas like 5 minutes before I arrived. the water from the heater (also BRAND NEW) was still cold.

I know gas is safe when the appliance is well kept and regularly inspected. I used gas stoves all my life.

I could be overreacting, ONE CO alarm going off eventually is understandable and not a reason to panic. shut the heater off, open the windows, wait for it to stop, try again... sometimes a smoke or a co alarm may go off accidentally. but when we have FIVE alarms going off at the same time, with seconds of difference between then, then it's hard to believe it was just a hiccup that caused a false alarm. they really went off.

I am still intrigued by the. ceilling fan. i still didnt buy a bed, so i use an air mattress that is on the floor next to the heater. at night, with everything dark and now the floor is clean and shining, I can see the blue flame reflecting on the floor. actually the position I am allows me to see the living room through the gaps on the bottom.

when I turn on the ceiling fan, I can see the flame changing a lot. it turns orange and even the heater noise changes (sounds like a blow torch). I am more than aware that yellow flames mean danger.

what makes me intrigued is, how can a fan cause such huge difference?

I didn't understand very well the thing about the gas company and pilots. have you tried to say that they intentionally adjust the pilot to maximum to spend more gas? one thing I noticed is the heater is always hot, even when it's off. well, not really hot, but lukewarm and considering the pilot is a little bit on the ENORMOUS size, I could instinctively guess the pilot is keeping the heater a little warm when it's off. I mean, no matter where I touch the heater, it is hot enough to be noticed, but not to burn my hand.
 
A Few Points of Clarification

Thanks to everyone who has commented and responded so far. In addition to Thomas, I am also a signatory party to this particular apartment. I have not said anything up until this point, because there were specific questions and concerns mentioned in the original post regarding the safety and practicality of a wall heater in an apartment.

There is no issue about the general safety of the product. It has been especially helpful to hear about other's experiences and situations in California, particularly Southern California.

The reason for the question at all is because of concerns that we have about the unit itself. The landlord told us that he replaced the wall heater after the previous tenant moved out after having lived there for more than fifteen or so years. In addition to the metal grill frame on both sides of a wall, a new thermostat was installed. Technically, everything works, but it does not seem as fine tuned as other wall units I have seen in the past. In other words, there is little variance between "warm" and "hot."

The carbon monoxide and smoke alarm alerts have happened more than the one time Thomas spoke about in post #970025, though this was the first time that all five devices sounded at once, and with the "burnt gas" odor. The landlord responded to the first incident by replacing all of the smoke detectors with new units.

Several have commented on what the landlord should do in response to these issues. The lease clearly outlines the roles and legal responsibilities of the landlord and the tenant, which Rich cited and provided the pertinent link to in the California Department of Consumer Affairs web site.

Part of the problem and frustration is that the apartment is maintained through a property management firm, and not directly through the landlord. It has not helped that the landlord and the owner of the management company frequently contradict each other in front of the tenants on this and other matters. Things get done slowly when referred to the firm, so the landlord goes over the head of the manager, which causes a great deal of tension and delay on other projects.

The apartment itself is on the second floor of a structure that was built 70-75 years ago, when Los Angeles city building codes regarding gas connections and gas appliances were different from what they currently are. While there have been modifications and upgrades over the years to conform the the code changes, to keep the apartment habitable, they are not the same as if the building was constructed in 2017. We understood this when signing the lease, though not to the extent that we now know and recognize. It is for this reason that Thomas said that he did not want any more gas appliances inside the building, as in a range and a clothes dryer, though we were and are now looking at electric appliances. We had already discussed this separately regarding personal preferences, not out of fear or any other such concern.

Thomas and I have the impression that we are caught in the middle of something between the landlord and property manager, where certain work would not be done, or corrected, at all unless we point out the matter. The wall heater and other gas connections is probably the biggest issue so far, because it cannot be brushed off at this time of the year when the weather is beginning to change. Moving is not an option at present, given the expenses and time already involved.

Please feel free to contact either of us privately if there are any questions.

Thanks!
 
Thomas,

 

Good to hear your landlord is so willing to fix, replace and upgrade. You MUST tell him about the heater issue, and the CO detectors going off.

 

It might be a result of the ceiling fan, but I don't know. Most ceiling fans have a reverse switch. If yours does, I'd try reversing it to see if there is less effect on the furnace flame... even with the new heater when it arrives, which I'm sure it will. And of course the flue also needs to be examined. Perhaps a chimney sweep could do that.

 

There are probably newer wall heaters that don't use a pilot light, but have an electronic ignition instead. The forced air gas furnace in the crawl space here has one of those, and it was installed in 1983. It does make a high pitched whine that I can sometimes hear when it's starting up, although I don't know if that is the igniter or the sound of the gas flowing. Once the furnace heats up the blower turns on and the whine cannot be heard.

 

I think new gas ranges and cook tops cannot have pilot lights any more, either. They are all electronic ignition.

 

The 40 gallon gas water heater here has a pilot light. Never given any problems, but then the water heaters is in a draft protected little closet all its own, with upper and lower screened vents, in the enclosed (but ventilated) patio. It would not surprise me if newer water heaters have also gone electronic ignition, but the philosophy seems to have been that the heat of a gas pilot isn't really wasted because the water in the tank is an effective heat sink.

 
 
I would have called the fire department when the alarms went off. They usually have some kind of equipment that they can double check everything for that. They might have even gone on the roof as well and inspected the vent.
 
Darryl, it sounds like both of you are on top of the situation regarding how to get action from the landlord (on site manager?).  I was wondering if there might be a property management firm in this mix, and that can be either a help or a hinderance.

 

Thomas stated that maybe a whole new unit could be installed, but even if that were to happen, if the flue is blocked, nothing will change.  Considering the age of the building, flue issues are a distinct possibility and again, I think this is the source of the problem.

 

Usually there's a way to adjust the pilot flame somewhere on the valve assembly, but it's not always obvious and would probably require a very small screwdriver or allen wrench.  On the wall unit in our den, you have to get up close to it before you feel any warmth from the pilot, and it's minimal.  I'd say the pilot flame on it is about an inch and a half long at most.

 

It sounds like the fan is stirring up dust in the area near the burner which would cause the yellow flame, and is also creating a draft across the burner itself.  The fan should be on its lowest speed and, if reversible, set to aim the air flow toward the ceiling.  I presume the gas company guy adjusted the flame for optimum performance, so if it's blue without the fan running, I'd leave that adjustment alone.

 

Basic thermostats are cheap.  Once the heater is back to non-poisonous operation, you could probably find one that doesn't have as wide a temperature swing (or has an adjustable swing) for little money and easily install it yourself.

 

 
 
As I recall, all the thermostatically operated wall heaters I've seen are either on or off. No modulation of gas flow other than that. Older stand-alone heaters might have a gas valve one could modulate, but one also could risk the flame being so low it can get blown out, which obviously would not be good.

 

 
 
Problem solved! YAY!

Landlord came here today to install a doorbell (now i have the Jetson's doorbell LOL) and as soon as he arrived i told him about the heater and the alarms going off.

Immediately he almost panicked. And he could instantly remember several months ago he went to the roof to do something and he almost fell. He grabbed the flue.

At that time he didn't pay any attention as the flue didn't visibly move above the roof, however, the part between the roof and the ceiling fell.

He immediately went to the crawl space under the roof and saw the flue was fallen.

Situation: all the fumes were trapped between the roof and the ceiling, and backflowed through the hatch on the hallway ceiling, right next to the smoke alarm that is also a CO detector.

The alarms are linked so when one goes off, the others go off together (that explains the alarms going off at the same time).

I wouldn't expect a better solution knowing my landlord the way I know. He immediately said "for god's sake, please don't you dare to think about turning the heater on today. If the CO alarm didn't go off you could be dead now. Let's turn the pilot off just in case (well, it was already off). You know what? I won't fix that crap. It's almost 10 years old and I personally don't trust it. We never had any problems with it but i prefer to be on the safer side. I'll schedule with the technician to come ASAP and install a new heater AND replace the flue. I prefer to have everything brand new.

The heater is actually made locally (Williams) and he has a relative that works there, so he can get a new heater for a modest price.

Other thing my landlord did today: The porch had a light fixture that was missing the glass globe. The day i moved in he told me he was going to order and come to replace. I thought he was going to order the globe only. Well, he came today with a brand new (and cute) light fixture. And it's visible it's not the El Cheapo brand because that thing is heavy and visibly well designed and made. It also has some fancy features like a sunlight sensor, a motion sensor and it's Wi-Fi enabled.

he also helped me installing the two first blindings (he will replace 2 per month until all of them are replaced) and even touched up the paint to cover the area where the old blindings brackets were screwed.

When we were there, i asked him if he could indicate a window washer to clean the windows, he didn't know any, but he said "you know what? those windows are so old and ugly. Would you mind the mess if i replace the windows? Not right now, but one or two per month on the next months.

I chose this property alone and i decided on it because i was tired of looking for properties and not finding any that would be affordable. What made me pick this one was the huge laundry room downstairs and the brand new bathroom.

Right after I moved, I discovered the property is in one of the worst neighborhoods in los angeles. Now i literally live in the middle of the "hood", the famous zip code 90044. (AKA gheto, skid row, etc).

I was terrified when I discovered that, but my landlord is so cool that I'm starting to change my opinion. My neighbor (the front house) lives here for years and he also told me that we are right in the middle of a series of blocks that have impressively low crime rates because most of the surrounding neighbors own the properties and live in the area for several generations, so drug dealers, gang members, etc are not welcome and don't feel welcomed in this area.

Oh, and next year he will remodel the kitchen, get rid of the old cabinets (horrible by the way) and a silly triangle on the corner that makes the kitchen even smaller. I will have space to have a decent dishwasher YAY.

For now, I'll be more than happy with a 4-service countertop Haier DW that Kevin found in Sacramento and brought to me. He tested it and it works great! i'll pick it up tomorrow night.
 
Ad before I forget... The property manager (a company) is a PITA.
It's the kind of person that want to make the property as profitable as possible by being scrooge with everything, while the property owner is proud of the property and is always trying to find ways to make improvements and he doesn't care if he's going to spend all the rent profit on improvements.

Today we had a nice conversation about that when he told me he doesn't give a shit to what the manager says, It's his property and he will invest as much as needed to make it better as soon as it fits his budget. He also said he's very happy to have me as a tenant because he could already see i am very careful with things and also very clean. (considering the cleaning miracle i did here, because the apartment was NASTY when I moved in and even being in the middle of a moving, he could see I try to keep things clean and organized, so he's not afraid of investing because he knows I'll be careful with everything as if they were mine.

he also told me to never address any issues to the manager, but talk directly to him if I want immediate solutions.

He also asked me to help him by giving ideas of what can be done to improve the property. I almost told him to get rid of the wall heater and put a central A/C and furnace LOL.
 
Very good news, Thomas. It has occurred to me that there was a roofing problem there, and sounds like in a way, there was.

 

However central HVAC is probably not gonna happen, not in an apartment, I would think. I'm assuming there's a window or through the wall AC unit in that place...?

 
 
Your landlord sounds as though he is a thoroughly decent chap, willing to upgrade in agreement with yourselves.

You get some landlords who either: (a) do nothing whatsoever (like Rigsby in 'Rising Damp'; or (b) let upgrades drag on seemingly forever.
 
What a great report, and what a great landlord! 

 

I'm not questioning his motives for making improvements, as I'm sure he wants to make them for you, but he also benefits when he files his taxes, so it's a win/win. 

 

We have a friend who owns a 4-plex, and he's in the process of replacing wall ovens and cook tops for his tenants.  Some are the originals from 1960, made by Frigidaire.  He needs the write-offs.

 

JMO, but a ten year old wall heater is something I'd consider to be nearly new.  There's not a lot to go wrong with the heating unit itself, but hey, if he wants to replace it, why not?

 

When you said you landed in "one of the worst neighborhoods in Los Angeles" I immediately thought Boyle Heights.   I think South Central might actually be better.   When I visit L.A., I spend most of my time in the area from downtown and points north of there, and my sister lives not all that far from Boyle Heights.  At least you're near the 110, which gives you a straight shot to the cultural centers.
 
Brand new Williams heater..

I should change the thermostat indicators, instead of temperatures, it should have bake, roast, toast, incinerate.

The model that was here was 50% less powerful than the unit he installed today. Jesus, that darn thing works like a charm. If i turn on the ceiling fans, nothing happens to the flame (but my apartment turns into a giant convection oven)

It doesn't make the "whooop" anymore every time it kicks in, super silent.... Well, super silent except for the contraction/expansion noises, that are absurdly loud (almost like dropping a baking pan on the floor). Also there is no gas smell at all and after 2 hours running, with all the windows closed, the alarm didn't go off.

He literally replaced everything from the gas valve to the cap on the end of the flue. Everything brand new, except for the external body that was perfect. But i have the feeling the HVAC technician washed it because its white is shining.

Well, tomorrow morning you'll know if it worked. Worst case scenario, i'll wake up roasted like a Thanksgiving turkey.
 
Worst case scenario, i'll wake up roasted like a Thanksg

... or not wake up at all...

 

Please post to let us know the new heater didn't put you to sleep permanently!

 

smiley-surprised.gif
 
LOL

Nope, Just in case the landlord installed three more CO detectors in the space between the ceiling and the roof and I also found a CO detector I had, put batteries in it and it's now in the living room.

I tested is in several different ways (living room and bedroom doors closed, doors open, fans off, fans on, even set it to the maximum temperature and waited until the thermostat turned it off) (actually i was like a thanksgiving turkey and I turned it off before it reached the maximum temperature). None of the now 9 alarms went off.

And it's getting cold here in LA, so since then i turn the heater on when I arrive home around 9 pm and turn it off only when i wake up in the morning. (or when i wake up around 5 am feeling like a turkey and run to turn it off and open the kitchen, bathroom and office door to cool down a bit.
 
Your next step could be to get one of the newer programmable "setback" thermostats. With those you tell it to come on by itself in the moring with a certain target temp, then back off after you've left for work/school/whatever, come back on just before you're due home again, then back off about the time you plan to retire for the night. They are relatively inexpensive (under $50) and very simple to install (just hook up two wires in the wall from the old stat to the new one) and program. Mine is a Lux 1500 I got about ten or more years ago. It needs a new battery every year or two but other than that it's been trouble free. Oh, and you can manually override the set temp any time you like. Like turn it up at night or down during the day.

 
 
I want to get something with WI-Fi (compatible with Bixby).

Not that I really need it, but to have the comfort to turn on the heater before I arrive home and also by the morning i can ask Bixby to turn it off instead of running naked around the house to reach the thermostat.

But I have no idea if it would work, as the heater uses a milivolt thermostat, super simple. I haven't researched anything about that yet.
 
"running naked around the house to reach the thermostat."

 

Bathrobes are inexpensive and reliable.

 

If you have regular wakeup times, a set back thermostat can fire up the heater before you wake up, even better than wifi.

 
 
To whom it may concern

My Williams Gas wall heater didn't manage to kill me yet.

The CO alarms didn't go off anymore (I actually forgot to hit the test button this week, will do that tomorrow morning)

It works... well, it heats... My gas bill is absurd as I sleep with the heater on every nigh to try to keep 80°F as the walls are not insulated and they get very cold at night. (Don't judge me, I'm brazilian, so anything below 80°F i'm almost wearing a scarf)

My bedroom get somewhat warm if i close the door. The living room has a huge gap under the entrance door and I can feel the cold air entering when the heater is on. No matter what I do, the living room is always much colder.
I thought about putting one of those "snakes" in front of the door to prevent dust from entering, but then i thought maybe it's not a good idea because it may affect the airflow to the flue. Right?

The other bedroom (office), even if i set the thermostat to 90°F and leave the doors open will always be cold. I'd roast in my bedroom while the other bedroom would always be freezing cold.

Right now the weather is getting a little bit warmer in southern California, so I'm starting to sleep with the thermostat set to only 75°F.

I still hating the noises it does. After the heater was replaced, it stopped doing the "whooop" noise every time it turns on, but every time it turns off it makes that metal noises like an oven cooling down.

Other thing i hate about this heater is keeping it clean. Jesus! that thing collects dust better than a vacuum cleaner filter. A few days ago Darryl and I took the front cover off and vacuumed everything. Now I just looked at it and it's covered with a black dust again.

Actually, I still don't know it that black dust is caused by the heater or if it's the air pollution from outside being sucked under the door by the heater.

No matter how much i vacuum and clean (and I use the hoover floormate once a week), the living room floor is always so dirty that i walk with bare feet and my feet gets black.
 
Off topic. (not so off topic because i believe the dust is caused by the heater)

Who invented the hoover constellation is probably a sociopath and deserves a slow and painful death.
Every time i turn the vacuum cleaner on i can see it blowing all the dust on the floor. (lamiante)

Then when i'm vaccuming, the vacuum hits my ankles all the time (almost like a shopping cart)... or the walls, the furniture, the closet doors (glass)

And when i really need to take advantage of the floating feature, it gets jammed on it's cord, so i have to lift the vaccuum.

The only way to vacuum without hurting myself or breaking something or putting marks on the walls is holding the canister with one hand and vacuuming with the other.
Sometimes I'm vacuuming and the hose touches my leg and it always grab and pull some hair. Veet hose? Satinelle Hose? Ouch!

But that's ok, as soon as possible I'll get a Bissell Crosswave, as I wash my floors once a week and using the hoover floormate is a hassle as the head is too bulky. And using the floormate as a dry vacuum is the same as nothing.
 
A new heater shouldn't be generating sooty residue.  I think your CO alarms would be going off if that were the case.  If you have issues with dust, the heater grille will be one of the places where it will accumulate.

 

In an old building, you're going to have drafty conditions if the windows and doors don't seal well.  The heater will work fine if you cover the gap under the front door.  You can buy a felt sweep on a metal strip to install at the bottom of the door and cover the gap, or just use one of those snakes or a towel to place across the door bottom.  The more drafts you eliminate, the lower your gas bill will be.

 

Again, a compact air circulator placed in an out-of-the way spot and set to its lowest speed will help to distribute heat more evenly.
 
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