LISAMAYEBAY

I am looking for ideas to cover ugly pipes that go up the wall above my heater. The pipes get very hot and I cannot use a window curtain when the heater is in use. Click below to enlarge photos...

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glennjanie

Welcome Lisa:
Apperantly this is a steam or hot water heater with a booster fan on the back.
I would consider closing the window at the top with finished sheetrock, have a good siding or gutter man bend a piece of aluminum that could be popped or clipped on the pipes, and get rid of the baseboard heater on the wall; repairing the wall and baseboard. It also looks like the cord for the fan runs up the wall but there is a receptacle right by the heater. I would shorten the cord and plug it in locally.
Glenn

inspectorD

That also looks like a homeowner installation. I would contact someone to install it correctly, who knows what else is wrong with it.
The baseboard heat looks like it may be electric behind that heater, and that is a big no-no.

Better safe than sorry, to many things wrong with this picture.

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Just My
Made in the

LISAMAYEBAY

Hi, The heater is a Monitor Vented Kerosene heater and it was professionally installed. The unit itself does not get hot - only the pipes. There is no cord going up the wall, that is the fuel line attached outside to a tank. The baseboard heat is disconnected so there is no issue with that. I just want to figure out a way to safely cover the ugly pipes without a fire hazard. I don't think that a gutter pipe would look to appealing in the living room. Any other ideas??

glennjanie

Sorry Lisa:
I didn't mean to insult you with the 'gutter' idea but a small square piece of aluminum wouldn't look as bad as two pipes and a fuel line (which could be moved over and enjoy the same cover).
Glenn

danR6

Lisa,
I'm not an established member here, but I have some experience with kerosene and other heaters, fuel lines, venting pipes and chimneys.

I think inspectorD has some wise council here.

Things appear to be installed without sufficient bracing. Over time, maybe the unit gets bumped while cleaning or moving furniture. If the pipe shifts, separation at linkage joints or other cracks are possible.

I would also caution that covering this vent pipe improperly could create problems, but I'm sure there are safe options. Brick chimney might work. Cement or ceramic chimney pipe covered with a veneer of more decorative tile also comes to mind. These ideas would probably involve moving the unit farther from the wall.

I don't know how close you want that fuel line to the hot vent, but it might be possible (I don't know codes on this) to enclose it in some kind of appropriate conduit.

Whatever plans, I'd just sacrifice part of the window as a utility area and salvage the remainder of the window and use a smaller curtain.

danR6

This idea sounds more economical than mine. And I wouldn't dismiss all metal materials as ugly, you can find some textured sheets or tiles with color baked finishes that look pretty decent. It would have to be rated for whatever temperatures... maybe roofing material would qualify. I notice these kinds of materials all the time and suspect people don't even realize they are metal. (they can look like wood or stucco.)

Again, I don't know codes in CT, but whatever you do -- it has to be installed properly. You don't want additions or ANYTHING within a certain distance or above that may fall on the heater (and related hardware) or interfere with safety.