Fireplace question......gas to wood??

[Tweevil]

I heated my home - 3600sq ft (*I think?!*)with primarily wood for a long time...

Wood logs are wonderful for ambiance but if you are trying to heat it isn't too cool - a lot of work!
I retrofitted my wood FP with a iron insert and blower and it was much better!

Before you dismiss a woodstove - go look at them. They are not all the same. Some are enclosed completely, some are open in the front with glass doors, so are pellet fed or wood fed.

I had 2 of these and one was enclosed and one was not. The open one was in my kitchen (15x25 foot area) and we used to love to have the doors open and sit on the loveseat. That one had a blower on it for max heat and a screen for ember control. When I put that one in I did a simple brick and block hearth and black metal chimney flue. It was lovely if I do say so myself... We loved it, the animals loved it, and I loved the teapot that was already at the ready on it. Not a hard job to install and it did the trick. The other one was enclosed and was pellet fed - easy peasy lemon squeezy... kicked the heat and was not dirty!

But, back to topic - I agree with the adjusting of the flame in your gas FP. It may just be too low and you may want to look at investing in a different set of logs - that can have a serious impact on how it looks and sounds. Some of them actually make the pop crackly noise that real logs make.

One thing with wood FP's, if you keep them cranked up your house gets VERY dry. Asthmatics can have trouble and those who usually are ok can have trouble because it will dry your nasal passages and lead to issues. Always have a kettle or a humidifier on - it helps.

Loved my wood burners, even though cutting, splitting, and hauling were involved. Loved it even more when I installed a house gas heater (low side vent so I wouldn't have to do a steel liner on my current chimneys) and it became something to do for enjoyment.


Ok, so I rambled...lol - hope some of this helps.

Edited to add link: http://www.homeofdecor.com/fireplacefurnishings/gaslogs/gaslog_buying_guide.asp
Did a look up and this site seems to have a lot of good info for when you want to change out the logs - there are variables I didn't even know of when looking for a change. Be safe and check it out if you want to switch them.

 

[HeyIt'sMe]

How about this.....does anyone have a gas fireplace that look just as real as a wood burning??? We have only the builder grade cheap fireplace and the flame is so small and is blue. Looks so fake.

When we built our house we also elected to get a gas fireplace. We had a woodburning fireplace in our previous house and it was so messy. I do love the crackling sound of a fire but the mess & work weren't worth it to us. And I like that I don't have to wait for the fire to burn out at the end of the night; I can just turn it off.

This picture is from my cellphone so the quality is poor but it's a picture of our gas fireplace. We got the log set from Lowes. It has a material at the bottom that burns and looks like embers.

 

[Tweevil]

When we built our house we also elected to get a gas fireplace. We had a woodburning fireplace in our previous house and it was so messy. I do love the crackling sound of a fire but the mess & work weren't worth it to us. And I like that I don't have to wait for the fire to burn out at the end of the night; I can just turn it off.

This picture is from my cellphone so the quality is poor but it's a picture of our gas fireplace. We got the log set from Lowes. It has a material at the bottom that burns and looks like embers.

How lovely! That looks very, very nice!

 

[herdtoDisney]

I realize it would take a whole new chimney and firebox to change it over. I'm curious what the cost would be for all of that????

We had a quote last year for a stainless steel chimney and the price was $3000, plus another $2000 for the stove and hearth. Maybe we'll do it someday...I miss it so much, I have gas here and could get a gas fireplace but I want the real deal!

I don't know if wood burning is bad for asthma, but it's probably not so good-I know my mom always complained when we had our stove (in previous home) going. It didn't bother my son who has it but he has it mildly.

Like another PP mentioned, it doesn't necessarily figure into your homeowners ins. premiums. Ours never did (they knew we had it and took pictures). But, I'd just make sure to go with an installer who is lisenced and pull permits and all that.

 

[redlawyer]

Look up Peterson gas logs on google. They make really beautiful gas logs. They can be expensive, but I think they are worth it. I installed the Old English oak logs in our previous house and I really miss them

 

[lukenick1]

When we built our house we also elected to get a gas fireplace. We had a woodburning fireplace in our previous house and it was so messy. I do love the crackling sound of a fire but the mess & work weren't worth it to us. And I like that I don't have to wait for the fire to burn out at the end of the night; I can just turn it off.

This picture is from my cellphone so the quality is poor but it's a picture of our gas fireplace. We got the log set from Lowes. It has a material at the bottom that burns and looks like embers.

OH WOW!!!!! Love that! Wish I could do that but I have an enclosed gas fireplace. I don't think mine will allow for open front doors. Not vented that way. We have it vented out the back.

 

[kmvand1]

Oh believe me we would have to have the whole thing replaced, it is strictly gas burning.

We are in the same situation!! Six years ago when we had our house built, it was almosted completed and already had the gas fireplace. From day one, we had nothing but problems with it. The fumes were horrible, it was smoking, basically it was not properly installed. We had a home town/good ole boy builder who didn't know what he was doing. We had the tank removed and have not used it in four years. We want a wood burning fireplace so bad and wish we had done like our neighbors did and had them change it over during construction.

 

[princessmom29]

not necessarily....where we live and with our insurance company, a FP is irrelevant. our fire protection class is a MUCH LARGER factor in determining premium. I am well aware of how this works as I worked in insurance (underwriting) for many years. I cannot say how that would work in the south but the NE territory that I worked with, FP was irrelevant in determining premiums (or at least it was for some companies).

Well, it must be very different becuase having a fireplace versus not made a BIG difference in what our insurance would be. We built our house from the ground up, and I knew from my parents that it would make a difference so we checked before going with wood burning. It was going to make a $200 a year difference on a $1500 a year premium, so we went with gas.

 

[horseshowmom]

Well, it must be very different becuase having a fireplace versus not made a BIG difference in what our insurance would be. We built our house from the ground up, and I knew from my parents that it would make a difference so we checked before going with wood burning. It was going to make a $200 a year difference on a $1500 a year premium, so we went with gas.

We're the same as a previous poster. Our fireplace didn't make a difference in our premium either. I guess it does depend on where you are.

 

[lost*in*cyberspace]

Is a wood burning one bad for asthma???? My son has asthma!!!

Wood burning fireplaces release particulates in the air. They can definitely aggravate asthma.

 

[horseshowmom]

Wood burning fireplaces release particulates in the air. They can definitely aggravate asthma.

Yes, that's why we had sinus and allergy problems frequently. After we switched over to gas, we improved greatly (then we took out the carpet, and they disappeared almost completely ).