Ideal Bite: Fire Extinguisher

May 05, 2008 BANG FOR THE BITE Newer heaters don't have pilot lights, but if 10,000 Biters with older ones turn off their pilot light for six warm months, we'll save enough gas to run an oven for almost 2,000 years. COCKTAIL FACTOID Dalmatians were used centuries ago to herd livestock, so when fire engines were horse-drawn, they were trained to lead the horses to a safe waiting place until the fire was out. LIKE THIS TIP? Then check out . . . The Matches Tip RATE THIS TIP How useful is this tip? (5 is the highest) 1 2 3 4 5 Think you need a big, strong firefighter to put out your blaze? The Bite Nope - you can handle it just fine. Switching off the pilot light on your fireplace or furnace during warm summer months will save loads of natural gas, and it's so easy, a Dalmatian could do it. The Benefits Torching natural gas waste. Example: The pilot light on a gas fireplace can use 1/2 the total gas a gas fireplace burns in a year, and the process for extracting natural gas is resource-intensive (just like extracting oil). Saving up for that firefighter calendar. Depending on gas prices in your area, you can save about $50 on bills each year if you turn off a pilot light during warm months. It's almost as easy as dialing 911. Once you know where the valve is and how to turn it off, it'll take you just a couple min each year. Personally Speaking When she was growing up, Heather's dad (and Ideal Bite's #1 Fan) always had a phobia of stuff accidentally blowing up, so he was religious about turning off the pilot lights at their forest cabin. Wanna Try? Check the manual to the appliance you wanna turn off for instructions. If you don't have it:  Find the valve in the gas line. Turn the valve handle so it's angled 90 degrees to the pipe. Check the pilot light to see that it's out. To turn it back on: Turn the valve parallel to the pipe. Relight your pilot light by pressing the light knob, and holding a match to the pilot nozzle. Natural Gas Appliance Calculator - helps calculate how much gas your pilot light uses. This tip submitted by Dann Henseler.      Sponsor

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