Replacing a wood fireplace with a gas one. Recommendations?
ceezeecz
8 years ago
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ceezeecz
8 years agoRelated Discussions
GAS Fireplace Recommendation
Comments (4)I'm sorry to learn of you loss by fire. That must have been aweful. Asn I'm glad to see you're moving ahead. We just had a direct vent gas insert installed into our prefab wood burning FP, and are very pleased. After researching this issue in detail, in Consumer Reports and elsewhere, we decided that direct vent is the way to go. The firebox is a sealed system that does not affect indoor air quality because it has 2 vents that go up the chimney, one to exhaust the fumes and the other to bring fresh air into the fire box to feed the combustion. So you do not bring fumes into your house and do not deplete you indoors of oxygen. The direct vent is the only system considered safe enough to allow in a sleeping room by our local building codes and, I believe, by many others as well. Since you are building a fireplace from scratch, not installing an insert like we did, you have a bit more flexibility. There are many brands out there. We went with Jotul for our insert, a highly respected Norwegian company that has been in the business for a long time. Their products are of the highest quality, are built in Norway and assembled in the US. Like most older companies in this business, they started out in the wood-burning business and that may still be their main emphasis. But they have aggressively entered the gas business with top quality products that match the reputation they earned earlier in wood. I would check out their website (just Google "Jotul gas fireplace") and look around. Check other brands. Have fun....See MoreCan I convert my gas Fireplace to a wood burning one???
Comments (11)Now hold on guys. Yes, caution is absolutely required here. However, I have a builder grade fireplace that looks very similar to the OP's unit. Mine is designed for either wood or gas. My unit has the same cheesy thin metal like stuff. If you look at the other pics on flicker, you will see that the unit has a full above roof chase and what appears to be a spark cap. I believe my unit has one of those huge 14" flues which is common for these units. This one doesn't seem to be that large, which makes me wonder if it is indeed a wood burner. The top of the front of the unit also has something that looks like sheet metal extending down into the firebox that is different from mine and that makes me think of gas. Remember, these are open fireplaces and don't really generate dramatic heat. My cheesy back fake bricks never got damaged in any way. So, two points: the 'fireplace' may indeed be designed for wood and you will need to check further; AND you aren't going to heat much with this thing either....See MoreWood vs. Corn/Pellet vs. Gas fireplaces; any one best for seconda
Comments (3)Hi Zuren, I have a pellet stove and it is my primary heat source now. I have a new oil boiler but when oil went uo last year I went with pellets. Paid about 200 a ton. Now there $219 a ton x 5 tons and $100 for delivery. $1200 will supply most of my heat for 2,600 sq ft house. Its still cheaper than oil for me. I really like the cleanliness of it and it renewable. Unless you have a generator or battery back up you are out of luck when the power goes out. You might want to see how long a battery back up system will last. I don't loose power too often for very long. The stove is expensive , about $3,000 installed but a wood stove and chimney is going to be expensive also. I like burning wood but just don't have time to cut it myself. I might get a log truck load next year and whittle away at it. I guess it depends on where you live and whats available - pellets, coal, gas or oil. I am very happy with the pellet stove but I am concerned with prices. I figured it will pay for itself after two years maybe three at the worst. Not sure if this helped you but its my 2cents worth. good luck....See MoreReplacing current gas FP with a new one
Comments (0)We just bought a town home that has a gas fireplace. Have never had gas and never wanted one but its growing on us. It's a very basic HeatNGlo - on, off and a fan that runs constantly. I've seen other people's gas fireplaces that have more features. What do I need to know about switching out one FP for a different one? We are clueless about this stuff....See MoreK Sissy
8 years agoceezeecz
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8 years agolast modified: 8 years agoK Sissy
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