This was new to me. I recommended the buyer replace these rocks with a conventional firelog set.
Is this acceptable?

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I think the river rock is not acceptable for gas/wood fireplace. It is for electric fireplace only. see Disclaimer: Do not use in direct contact with real fire / flames. on web.

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Daniel Leung AScT Richmond, BC http://daniel-leung.com/
http://richmondwatch.blogspot.com/se...%20maintenance

Not acceptable refer to manufactures instructions. Never seen a unit with rock always log set out of masonry product. Have only seen this type of rock in electric sauna heaters.

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Thanks, Raymond. I agree, it just ain't right.
Thank you Daniel. I had no idea people were making $ on the net by selling rocks, but that appears to be the case.

BTW, these just looked like beach rock to me, granite by the looks of it. Shale or slate would have exploded in the heat.

Anyone else ever thrown wet river rocks in a fire?

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X2

The log setup in these fireplaces is actually very specific. Most come with a picture and direct instructions as to how they should be arranged.

There are often soot/burn marks on glass whenever they're not setup right. Whenever I run across these I always look at the overall setup of the logs and watch the way the flame rolls up and over them. After you've seen a bunch of them it's pretty obvious when something isn't right.

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I have encountered multiple permutations of the example shown in the photos. River rocks, glass beads, marbles, broken glass, etc.; just whatever the idiot decorator could find in her(his) garage that would supposedly set her(his) clueless clients' house a bit apart from the clueless neighbors' houses.

On one memorable inspection the house had four fireplaces. Three had regular ceramic gas log sets. The fourth was a small metal firebox installed about three feet off the floor and contained glass balls about 1" in diameter. I am always careful lighting these things because you never know what the flame will do in a medium like that. Sure enough, the flame shot out and burned the hair off of my hand.

When the smart-ass yuppie clients and their Zoloftian agent arrived they began to float about the house drooling over the granite counters, the tumbled marble this, the hardwood that, blah, blah, blah . . . Then the Zoloftian took them to the living room to show them the glass ball fireplace. They just had to see it in action. After a moment I heard the wacko yelp and come running out to the kitchen sink to douse his singed eyebrows. Priceless!

I always write these up as being hazardous.

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"What the plainspoken man lacks in subtlety he makes up in clarity." - A.D. Miller
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Can't say I have even seen weird stuff like that in fireplaces.

Too bad you did not know they were going to light it as you could have warned them of the potential for a serious injury.

Boy Scouts. We blew a can of beans clear out of sight with our slate fireplace.

LG: In a former life - before marriage - I was precognizant, omniscient, omnipotent and damned near omnipresent. After that fatal date 25 years ago it has all been downhill in the deity department for me. . .

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"What the plainspoken man lacks in subtlety he makes up in clarity." - A.D. Miller
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John,
Many fireplace manufacturers offer "river rock" as a medium. If you can provide the model and serial number the manufacturer can provide which material is allowed to be on the burner. If the manufacturer allows rock on this fireplace than I would not suggest it be tagged as unsafe just because it has never been seen before by the home inspector as others have suggested. It is difficult to stay on top of hearth products and what is " in ". Ember material or medium not authorized by the manufacturer is never appropriate. If possible have your client contact an NFI certified professional for advice or the store it was purchased at for advice.

Jack

Thanks, Jack. I did tell the client to ask about the rocks at the fireplace store, where they would need to go to pick up a proper log set. Take a look at the pics, these are not the polished "river rocks", and they are not carefully arranged or elevated on a special tray for the rocks to keep the burners clear. They most likely were brought home from the beach, which is only a 1/4 mile away. I will do some checking on what's new in fireplaces, good point.

The pic below shows approved rocks in a "media tray" for certain models of Napolean F/P's. The unit I inspected was a Majestic, no tray.

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I can assure you the latest rage in the hearth industry is using all sorts of unconventional media in lieu of logs. They have shattered glass, specially formed glass, ceramic forms--all sorts of goofy things. They have the burning water and other novelties, too. Some of these look more like aquariums than Fps. Come to Orlando to see them all at the HPBA EXPO in March, 2010: Hearth, Patio and Barbecue Association


Meanwhile, as usual, just refer to the listed instructions for applicability.
Bob

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Keep the fire in the fireplace.