Latest Retirement Engineering Project...

A few years ago we sat on Don Miguel and Alejandra's back patio under their new stand up propane heater. Things were so cozy on a cold night that we left a little early and on the way home went right by a big box store and bought ourselves one. 

Usually we put it on the back deck where the hot tube is but I guess since the deck is not enclosed it never quite heated the area up while we soaked on cold winter nights and we do have a fire pit in the other outside sitting area so our heater always seemed like a fifth wheel when it came to outside winter warming. In the summer we usually stored it under the barn overhang.   

On checking it out for use this year, just in case it does get cold I could not get it lit. My first thought was it is a few years old and basically a cheaply made imported item with a planned lifespan. So I did what any retired guy worth his salt would do and I took it all apart. The discovery was that some how the hose was defective and would not deliver propane to the burner. Down in the barn was a hose, a part from a long burnt out fish cooker that had been saved by my packrat self.  Only problem it's too short.   

So I remove a section of the pipe that makes the thing about 8 feet tall, drill a few homes to line up screws and now we have a 6 foot tall heater which should put it a little closer to hot tub bathers and deck sitters but still be out of grandchild reach. If you are 6 feet tall and visit my house let me just set expectations that you practice good fire safety around my heater. It does have feet that can be screwed to a base of some sort which would raise it a bit more so I'll be on the look out for something like that.

Cost of adaptation and repair $0. I did throw the old hose away. Could not quite figure out why gas would not pass through other than perhaps corrosion in the regulator.

Another plus is I have this pipe left over. It will be it's own project some day.