Nothing can compare to the ambiance a warm fire in the fireplace will create. Picture the perfect Norman Rockwell scene. Dad in his recliner, reading the paper and smoking his pipe. His trusted Irish setter curled up on a rug next to him. While Mom relaxes on the sofa, catching up on her knitting. Young Billy and Susan sitting quietly on the floor, together roasting marshmallows over the fire crackling in the fireplace.
So the plan is in place, your going to install a fireplace in your home. Now the big question, should you go with Gas or Wood? There are many variables to consider before you head off to the home center to start your project.
Cost: If the financial impact is your only consideration, gas is the way to go. Everything about a wood burning fireplace is more expensive then a gas fireplace. Gas fireplaces require much less structure. The chimney is simpler and you have more flexibility in the installation. Some can be direct vented out through an exterior wall, with no vertical chimney at all. Wood burning fireplaces require a more substantial flue, be it cement block with clay liner chimney, or a multi-layer stainless steel chimney system. Cost of installation can easily be twice as much for a wood burning installation then it would be for a gas installation.
Cleanliness: Again, gas comes out on top. With wood you have wood debris tracked through the house when you bring the fuel in. Ash is the residual results of a wood fire, you have to haul that out of the house. Cleaning the chimney, something you need to do at least once a season with a wood fireplace. Then there is the soot, a dark film that will drift through the house if you don’t have proper draft from your chimney. Like magic, all these issues go away with a gas fireplace.
Fuel: If you intend to buy your fire wood already cut and split your toasty warm fires will be a costly affair. Storage of a couple cords of dry wood is another issue that may be a problem for city dwellers. A cord of split fire wood consists of a pile 4′ high x 4′ wide x 8′ long. For those who heat their homes with only wood a supply of at least 5 cords is only a marginal amount. For those real serious about their wood heat it’s not uncommon to have two years worth of wood on hand to allow for real good drying time before they need to burn the wood. Admittedly this is the extreme end of the equation, but not at all uncommon in northern Minnesota.
With gas the storage issue, as well as the labor required to obtain the fuel, just disappears with the above listed items. Be it natural gas supplied by the city through underground pipes, or propane delivered by truck to the tank in your back yard. No labor stacking or hauling, just pay the bill at the end of the month.
Safety: Once again gas comes out on top. Modern gas appliances, a gas fireplace counts as an appliance, have safety shutoff’s, to prevent gas from leaking into the house. If you have a gas hot water heater the burner system is pretty much exactly the same as what is in a gas fireplace. If you can find a fireplace that has electronic ignition it will save you a measurable amount of money. The pilot on most fireplaces is quite large and will be burning all the time unless you shut off the fuel supply going to the fireplace. The level of flame is always the same, you can’t build too big of a fire in a gas fireplace.
Wood on the other hand creates creosote in the chimney. You always have the danger of a chimney fire. This danger is compounded if you burn Green (fresh cut) wood. By building too large of a fire you may over heat the chimney, endangering the house as well.
Convenience: With gas it can be as simple as pushing a button on a remote control, and presto you have just the right amount of flame and heat instantly. No waiting for it to take hold and burn, instant gratification. With wood, you will have to bring the fire wood in, get some kindling and start the fire. With practice this can go smoothly, but if your kindling is wet, or your out of newspaper starter, it can be a lesson in frustration.
Efficiency: Gas is on top on this one also. Most gas fireplaces have a glass front. This stops the warm air in the house from going up the chimney when your not using the fireplace. It also allows better control of the combustion air and assures the combustion air is coming from outdoors, not from the living space.
Wood fireplaces tend to siphon warm air out of the house when not in use. Being open front they also send room air up the chimney when in use. That’s the reason corners of the room away from the fireplace will actually be cold as the heat tends to hang right around the fireplace and not spread throughout the house.
Authenticity: With all these pluses in favor of gas fireplaces, your probably thinking who would ever think of installing a wood burning fireplace. If you enjoy walking up to the door of a house burning wood. Smelling the scent of the fireplace drifting through the neighbor hood. Sitting in front of an open hearth fireplace with some pine logs snapping as the flames lick and flicker here and there. A river stone fireplace may take a number of hours to heat up and make the room comfortable, but once you get it there you may never want to leave its presence.
If you enjoy the time in the woods required in dropping and limbing trees for your own use to heat your home, wood heat is for you. Splitting by hand, or even using a log splitter will warm you from head to toe. It’s hard work guaranteed to keep you in shape. It’s said that wood will heat you three times, once when you cut and split the wood. Again when you haul it into the house, and yet a third time when you actually burn the wood.
Insurance: Before you choose between gas or wood, give your home owner’s insurance agent a call. Some companies add a surcharge to cover the increased risk of a wood burning fireplace, while other companies refuse to cover them all together. Most will accommodate a gas fireplace, but it’s better to check before you proceed.
Air Tight Wood Stove: Maybe efficiency is high on your priority list and you happen to have a 20 acre lot of suitable trees for a source of fuel. Today’s well designed wood stoves can hold a fire all night. With a modest effort you can supplement your existing source of heat with a wood stove. There are a variety of styles and types available that do an excellent job of providing all the heating needs of any size home. Some even have a wood heated boiler which is housed in a separate small structure. Keeping all the mess and fire hazard away from the structure it’s actually heating. Hot water is circulated from the boiler house to radiators throughout the main structure.
Electric Fireplace: In recent years electric fireplaces have come on the market that have an amazingly realistic appearance to them. They provide a similar amount of heat as is provided by a portable space heater. Helpful, though hardly enough to be a prime source of heat. With a Hologram like flickering flame, they almost look like a real flame. Almost, though not quite.
There are many options available, surely one of them will give you some enjoyment. It’s always nice to have an alternative source of heat for times when the electricity has gone out. The time to prepare for such a situation is well before you need it. When installing your fireplace be sure to follow all directions very carefully. Your city may require an inspection before you can close in the area around the fireplace. It’s always best to make a few phone calls before diving in. Better to have 20-20 foresight, rather then 20-20 hindsight.
