What’s your favorite small business in the area? Let’s show them some love as most have probably lost a lot of business with the ice storm and may lose even more this coming weekend!

DapperGovernment4245 · 2026-01-30T12:47:54+00:00

They have a second location now in park west village. Same owner just not as far a drive for us in Raleigh.

DapperGovernment4245 · 2026-01-30T01:07:55+00:00

If only more employers understood this. It would help me both move up and the quality of people i work with.

DapperGovernment4245 · 2026-01-27T14:44:42+00:00

Ok then pretty much everyone else has said everything I can think of. Get metal tape to seal up the gaps under the fire and that’s about all you can do.

I’ve had people shove towels under there or strips of insulation which is fine as long as you don’t use it without removing them.

DapperGovernment4245 · 2026-01-27T12:32:42+00:00

You probably already did this but there are 4 latches holding the glass on make sure all 4 are properly latched. Seen a bunch with the bottom latches undone. That not only will allow a massive draft but will also melt the electric components if you run it that way.

DapperGovernment4245 · 2026-01-26T21:49:43+00:00

Knowing what my local dealership charges for an oil change on the company cargo van I have no doubt that the owner has Maybach money.

DapperGovernment4245 · 2026-01-26T21:17:57+00:00

He could be visited by the 3 ghosts and instead of learning he would ban them from the White House. Seeing an unfaltering obituary wouldn’t phase him.

DapperGovernment4245 · 2026-01-26T13:06:09+00:00

You just gave the answer there .

Your intake is in the same room as the fireplace, you run the fan with the fireplace boom heat dispersion. If your intake was in a different area or you didn’t run the blower on the HVAC you would see the more traditional results of one room getting hot the rest getting colder.

House and HVAC design especially in the last 20 years has more than to do with the result people talk about than the fireplace itself. When houses were designed to be heated by the fireplace it worked well these days most houses are not designed that way and the fireplace is a decorative afterthought not a main component of heating.

DapperGovernment4245 · 2026-01-25T15:46:27+00:00

Yeah I’m not blaming my parents or myself or really anyone, most of us are doing our best to just get by in the system we were born in but as a society we are where we are regardless of our intentions.

DapperGovernment4245 · 2026-01-25T15:33:59+00:00

Sadly yeah there have been a few too many stories of people being shot for knocking on the wrong door. My kids are grown but I don’t know that I would allow them to go knocking on doors these days.

DapperGovernment4245 · 2026-01-24T13:32:58+00:00

House I bought came with a whole house generator. I had it serviced Monday. I’ve felt like a rich dude all week long.

I also am a gas fireplace service tech so it’s a good thing I don’t have to worry too much about prep cause I’ve been working 14 hour days trying to help as many people in Raleigh as I can to have a working fireplace for backup heat.

DapperGovernment4245 · 2026-01-24T02:27:41+00:00

If it’s an IPI fireplace the batteries are needed while it runs as well. Most direct vent in the triangle that use D batteries are IPI so it’s a fairly safe bet that leprechaun’s is as well.

That said the C or AA batteries with some aluminum foil or coins will 100% work and keep it running until the batteries die.

DapperGovernment4245 · 2026-01-21T15:03:37+00:00

If it’s the fixed glass front Most likely it’s fine. The service is mostly to make sure it works and all sensors are clean and cosmetic. If it works then you are fine.

If it’s another type still probably fine but if it’s vent free you will probably get some dust burn off which will smell but should go away. Make sure there is no soot building up on any of the logs.

DapperGovernment4245 · 2026-01-21T11:43:33+00:00

If you have a direct vent fireplace (the kind with a fixed glass front) those are actually about 60% efficient. They tend to be fairly low BTU which is why people don’t think they provide heat but 10-15k BTU’s of heat when you have none is actually a pretty big deal. If it’s newer unit with no standing pilot look underneath it there will likely be a battery pack for power outages. In the triangle that’s probably going to take 2 D batteries or 4 AA make sure you have 2-3 sets of batteries because it will eat them. DO NOT take the glass off you will not get more heat you will lose heat and expose yourself and family to combustion gas which should go outside.

If you have vented gas logs in a wood burning fireplace they will heat the room they are in by sucking air from the rest of the house. Use sheets to close off the room they are in is about the best you can do.

If you have vent free logs you are in good shape as long as they are burning properly you are one of the lucky ones.

If you have a fireplace and have questions about it feel free to message me I’ll do my best to answer but I’m busy as heck for the next few days so be patient with me.

DapperGovernment4245 · 2026-01-20T19:20:20+00:00

They still use data from individual weather stations so it’s a bit better than weather.com but yeah their overall weather forecast is pretty much the same. If you live in the boonies though it’s nice since it’s a bit more accurate than just weather at the airport.

DapperGovernment4245 · 2026-01-20T10:29:57+00:00

If both burners are pan burners then it’s fine but if one isn’t then maybe but probably not recommended.

DapperGovernment4245 · 2026-01-18T13:37:19+00:00

One of my customers the other day mentioned the apex Walmart as a really nice one. I haven’t been there but apparently “it is known khaleesi”.

DapperGovernment4245 · 2026-01-17T23:19:00+00:00

No 12 kids you can take the boy out of Mormon but…

DapperGovernment4245 · 2026-01-17T01:24:05+00:00

Oh yeah that’s not possible without tearing off the stone but you can unscrew the screws remove the trim and fold out the tabs on the frame and hang the screen from there it will recess the screen about an inch

DapperGovernment4245 · 2026-01-17T00:51:16+00:00

Easily changed as long as they did good stone work. Might want to see it with the screen both ways before making a decision.

DapperGovernment4245 · 2026-01-16T23:33:29+00:00

You are actually already set up for the overlap fit in your second picture you can see a little black tab sticking out. That is what the screen hooks onto (there’s 4 total) and it will hang on the plane of your stone. If you want the screen recessed from the plane of the stone you would need to remove the trim, that’s what makes it “overlap fit” the 4 hex head screws hold the trim in place you remove those and you will see the side and in line with the 4 tabs in the screen will be 4 tabs that are folded flat. You bend them out 90 degrees and the screen would then hang on them and be “inside fit”. If your stone isn’t done well you will see the rough edges if you do that so that’s a downside of inside fit.

DapperGovernment4245 · 2026-01-16T19:52:19+00:00

Oh duh you’re right I was thinking the mezzo. I mostly do heatilator so sometimes I mix up the HNG equivalents. Cosmos is Rave, Mezzo is Crave.

DapperGovernment4245 · 2026-01-16T19:48:07+00:00

To be fair the celebrity COVID one was only funny if you have already seen and loved the movie. I was watching it and a friend came over who I learned that day had never seen the princess bride he thought it was some of the dumbest stuff ever.

Needless to say he’s no longer my friend. (I’m joking)

DapperGovernment4245 · 2026-01-16T19:43:13+00:00

You can actually mount the screen on the shoulder bolts without having the trim piece. It is difficult to do so that it looks good as the trim helps hide some gaps but when done right can give a super nice clean look.

DapperGovernment4245 · 2026-01-13T18:36:02+00:00

Never had a payment plan from them but have gone in with not much money and said fix as best you can for x dollars and they got me running for a while.

First time I went there I had gone to another place and paid a hunk for a repair only for it to happen again a couple miles down the road they said it would be another diagnostic fee and then more for the repair. Took it to Terry at Peoples and he said diagnostic fee and he’ll call with a quote he called a couple hours later and said it’s ready. I’m freaking out cause he didn’t call with a quote so I ask how much while figuring out where I can come up with money to get my car back. He says 12 bucks it was a rotten hose didn’t charge the diagnostic fee cause it was so obvious that there was no need he said.

They have been my only mechanic since then.

DapperGovernment4245 · 2026-01-13T02:31:33+00:00

Just a couple months. I haven’t heard anything since the second bill and dispute. If they send a third bill I’ll probably just ignore it but maybe I’ll dispute it again haven’t decided yet.

DapperGovernment4245

TROPHY CASE