Heh. So much blather running all over the place that the Original Post gets lost. "Would it be safe for my plants to start dumping ash from my fireplace into my composting bin?" Safe? Yes. As one highly reliable poster from GB has said: "if it has ever lived, pile it on" (or something like that...). "Would it add any benefits to the soil?" Yes, No, It depends. It WILL add stuff. You could wing it and judge the results over time as most people do, but that might be instant or it might be interminable. You need to know what's in the ash and you need to know what's in your soil. " My only concern is that we used Duralogs to fuel the fires, and im not sure if they have any harmful chemicals" Do you trust modern industry? I do not, but these logs seem to be cool, emissions-wise, sustainability-wise, and residue-wise. Forget all the bogus stuff. This is amending with lime at a chemical level of intensity and you don't yet know your general pH range. Since all gardening is local, do the numbers or you're just taking your chances. Nobody can do this but you.

Grannabelle - we bought a 42" plasma tv last summer and hung it over our wood burning fireplace. It has done great. No problems. Our fireplace is well ventilated and thus so smoke comes back into the house, which is what I would have worried about as far as the tv goes. We used a good but not expensive hanging kit from Sam's and it has done the job well.

Hi All, I live in Auckland, New zealand and am going to move in a rented town house soon. Its a good house (given my budget) but the only trouble is this ugly Wood Stove sitting right in the middle of the living room. Any ideas how can I hide it or camouflage it. I don't neccessarily want to spend a lot on it. Thanks

Just one. WHY! Gas logs are boring( same fire appearance constantly), lacks aroma, sound, coziness, exercise, and something rewarding to do and accomplish. Not to mention the great lawn fertilizer and composting you get from the ashes if you have a green thumb. Don't do it! People though want to retire from the aformention so in all fairness I understand the desire to switch. If you do, just make sure you're happy with the logset! Mendota is from what I've seen top of the line. You'll need to hire a plumber and apply for a permit. Could always go back to wood down the road and sell the logset on ebay and it'll go! Good luck!