Lol..Good one Al! Sounds like you have a batty of a problem...lol You could always move your plants aside and make room.ha I'm praying for an end to this miserable cold weather..How did the birds fare this year for you? Did they come back? I did mention something about your frogs, but now I forget.. I hope all is well and that the real frogs will be able to sing again soon..This winter is just killing me..I think I know what it's like to live in a cave now...I'm as white as a ghost. Hello Laura and Josh and every one else..Good to see you all surviving...I have not seen this cold for years...I am grateful my fish loaded pond did not freeze up..It almost did since I accidently shut the power off to the pond pump..It only too two days for the whole top to freeze over but luckily I noticed it and broke the top open so the fish could breath. I also notice that my ground in the garden must be frozen at least more than 6 inches deep! I hope my bulb and perrenials make it through this. Let's see, what else? I left all my potted plants in a dark area of my garden and they have been buried with snow since December..I hope they make it too by the time the thaw comes..Keeping my fingers crossed. What else? Since I have been couped up inside, I have painted ever single room in my home and added a three seasons porch..That explians my absence besides sickness.. The only saving grace this winter was my greehoused plants, especially my orchids and two bull frogs inside! I actually downloaded brid chirping and sounds along with relaxing sounds and play that with my eyes closes in the nice very humid warm greenhouse on sunny days in this weather..Sure takes the edge off! All the orchids have come to bloom and many others.. Laura..What a beautiful picture of that frog!!!!!!! It's so postcard looking. I love it and you know how I feel about frogs! Thanks for that. Good to see there is still a REAL need for you while you are home, right?lol I remember was he was just born and when you visited me...Seems like yesterday. Either that frog is so content, or just trying to stay warm. Josh, Let it rain and rain, right? You could use all the rain you can get.Horay for the peppers buddy! P.s..I talked to Jodik and she is ok..I am trying to get her back here...She's a gem and missed here. So's Jojo..She is ok too..Says hello. Hoping you all well and wamrth. MIke

We put in a direct vent during a remodel several years ago. On the day I turned it on, it smelled and smoked quite a bit, but I expected that. What I didn't know was that our GC cut corners in the installation and didn't install the "firestop." So what I was smelling was actually smoke and burning from a fire in the walls. But, I had no idea and opened the windows to air it out, which fed the fire and our entire addition burned down! Luckily everybody was safe. I am repeating this story because, yes, it can smell, and it is a good idea to run it at a time when you don't care about the smell --- it should be an oily burn off smell, not sure how to describe exactly. If you smell fire though, and have excess amounts of smoke, you might actually have a fire somewhere! I would ideally have it run / tested by the installer / GC.

Thanks for the replies. I agree it would be really silly to build the chimney if you couldn't burn wood. Apparently, the last people who lived here never used the fireplace (according to the neighbors). They did leave behind a cord of wood though. It seems they thought you couldn't use wood either. I thought about leaving the ceramic logsjust to make it easier to switch between ambient fire (gas) and heat producing flame (wood). Now that you mention it, it would look strange. I think Xanndra hit the nail of the head. I did a Google for gas starters and they look nothing like to large tray type set up we have. I guess we'll have the chimney folks out to give us an esitmate on a good cleaning and retrofit. Thanks again. BTW, I got in a flurry since the furnance went out and we have to wait a couple of days for a repairman. It's not below freezing just yet, but the kids and dog aren't at all happy. The gas fire does nothing but send hot, expensive air up the chimney. We were looking forward to an actual warm fire.

Eliza6eth, I would do as Winnetka suggests ... wait to see if you can locate a floor model of the older style AG. One poster on GW found one recently, so there may still be some out there. I would also make some calls on my own to other stores rather than relying on one dealer to find one for me. The older style Wolf AG still has the black shiny top that you aren't fond of. However, I've found that it is a snap to clean, and a final wipe with a microfiber towel gets rid of any smudges and fingerprints. The entire top comes off if you needed to soak it in the sink, but I haven't made any messes that required more than a soapy sponge to the surface. In response to your 2nd question ... is Wolf's new design a mistake for them? I tend think so, because a lot of people who would have been attracted to their old-style range are not going to appreciate the new, sealed burner model and are going to look elsewhere. Because they no longer offer that option, Wolf is going to lose out on that entire demographic that does not want sealed burners. Personally, I wouldn't want one of the newer Wolf AG ranges ... the top no longer comes apart and there are too many cracks and crevices on the cooking surface for food and liquids to fall into. The grates are gigantic! I prefer the single grates on the older version because they are easier to lift off, clean, etc. and I really like the beefy look and feel of them as opposed to the newer grates. The new style AG oven has a spark ignitor which "click, click, clicks" each time it relights, whereas the old style has the glowbar style that doesn't make any noise at all. I looked at every little thing on both the old-style and new-style Wolf's when I was shopping for a range, and IMHO, the old-style is far superior in build quality and design. I don't know if performance has been sacrificed, because I haven't cooked on the new version.