Gas or wood fireplace?

[remagenman]

Okay, hopefully the last question concerning my fireplace saga.

I recently took the metal shroud off of my Fisher fireplace insert and discovered that there is a capped off gas line in the fireplace (left side coming through chimney).

Having neither used both what is your opinion? I have central AC to heat the house so I guess the convenience/cleanliness of gas would be better?

Thanks.

 

[billspit]

I love a real wood fireplace, but they are a lot of work. Nat gas logs can be pretty efficient. Unfortunately our aren’t, so they rarely get used. We only got them so we could get connected to gas.

 

[dcg9381]

Here gas fireplaces are large decorative. As frankly are most fireplaces in the south. Even if they burn wood, they have no blowers and no real capacity to heat a home.

What is the use case? How much available wood do you have? It's a different question when you're sitting on a few acres of hardwood if you want to go to the trouble... The wood fire places that I've used that worked well were built as functional fireplaces, most had blower systems. There are pellet fireplace retrofits possible too.

 

[wssix99]

Firewood is a carbon neutral fuel. If you aren't using the appliance for heat, that might be a bigger consideration to ponder.

 

[jar944]

Open wood fireplaces and gas fireplaces are mostly just for looks. Wood cracks and pops but doesn't give much heat.

I don't see the point of either really. If you want heat from wood get a Woodburner, or zero clearance high efficiency [wood] fireplace, which is just a woodburner that looks like a fireplace.

 

[930dreamer]

I'd rather have a Fisher wood stove properly installed than a gas fireplace. The Fisher will still put heat out in an emergency. Is the Fisher a true insert?

 

[CSRPenFab]

I like the remote control ease of my gas unit. The main issue with ours what that it did not have a blower. A quick visit to a fireplace shop to chat with a tech, and I discovered how easy it is to add a squirrel cage blower. $130 later from Amazon it arrived and it was a 5 minute install. It hides way in the back underneath the firebox and has a magnetic thermo-switch that kicks the fan on when the pan hits 90 degrees. It stays on until the until cools off. What a difference! Now we get a nice flow of hot air from the vent on top of the unit.

 

[bdbecker]

For ease of use, gas all the way. No ashes to deal with, no messing around with sourcing, processing, or storing wood. If you want a fire, you flip a switch or push a button on a remote control.

That being said, nothing beats the ambience of a real wood fire on a cold night. But I also grew up in a house that was heated almost exclusively by a wood burning stove and a wood burning fireplace, so I'm certainly biased in my opinion on the matter.

 

[NUTTSGT]

If you have access, the ability and time to cut wood, it's great exercise and cheap heat.

 

[jkuro]

These might be worth looking into:

Ventless Gas Logs - Vent-Free | WoodlandDirect.com

Ventless gas logs burn safely without a chimney by producing a clean, smokeless flame. Shop our top Ventless & Vent-Free gas log sets today!

www.woodlanddirect.com

 

[Jonny Rotten]

I have a freestanding pedestal wood fireplace for 15 years. I get oak delivered by the tree guys and spit it myself. 100% free heat for 6 months. It heats my entire house but I have an easy open layout to heat. It's also 74 degs in my house on a 30 deg day. When everyone else keeps their thermostat down to save oil/gas I'm walking around in a tee shirt. It's a lot of work but I still enjoy doing it at 53...oil man can kiss my ****

 

[ycgoat]

I have had a wood stove my whole life, but it is a lot of work and dirty. I am about to take the wood stove to my shop and put in gas logs in its place at my jouse

 

[wssix99]

Open wood fireplaces and gas fireplaces are mostly just for looks. Wood cracks and pops but doesn't give much heat.

I don't see the point of either really.

I thought they were the engine that drives our creativity and the ultimate demonstration of our masculinity.

 

[paredown]

Another wood burner here--I scavenge wood from around the nabe, the local tree guy and off Facebook.
It is a fair amount of work (we burn 4-6 cords a winter). I finally broke down and got a gas powered splitter which made it less laborious to process wood. I like that is a heck of a lot cheaper than paying our inflated prices for natural gas, and makes living in our leaky house possible in New York winters.

The new gas inserts are nice and definitely more than just decoration--and I see ads these days for used wood stoves from old timers that have switched from wood. (In another ten years, I'll probably be tempted too!)

I'd be tempted to get someone who is in the biz to come out and look at what you have--there are certainly situations where a gas insert may be the safest, or even the only choice. I've learned a lot from these guys:

The Hearth Room - Wood Stoves and Fireplaces

Come on in and sit around the fire with a number of colorful characters who, like the Cartalk Guys, can answer ANY question regarding wood stoves,coal stoves, fireplaces, chimneys and more ....but don't be surprised if your answer contains a little more than you were asking for!

www.hearth.com

 

[930dreamer]

One thing that's not computer controlled-Check!

 

[75gmck25]

There is an esthetic/good feeling aspect to fireplaces that makes the choice harder.

Buying a sensible, heat-producing, direct vent fireplace vs buying an esthetically pleasing, inefficient wood burning fireplace is like buying a 6 cylinder Mustang instead of the faster GT. Every conversation seems to start out with an explanation of why you bought a gas fireplace. The first question they usually ask is "is it a real fireplace>".

FYI - I went with a Mendota direct vent. Works well, to product heat, but is missing that "good feeling" of a wood burning fireplace. However, my wife loves being able to click it on first thing in the morning and sit there in the warmth with her first cup of coffee.

 

[Jonny Rotten]

There is an esthetic/good feeling aspect to fireplaces that makes the choice harder.

Buying a sensible, heat-producing, direct vent fireplace vs buying an esthetically pleasing, inefficient wood burning fireplace is like buying a 6 cylinder Mustang instead of the faster GT. Every conversation seems to start out with an explanation of why you bought a gas fireplace. The first question they usually ask is "is it a real fireplace>".

FYI - I went with a Mendota direct vent. Works well, to product heat, but is missing that "good feeling" of a wood burning fireplace. However, my wife loves being able to click it on first thing in the morning and sit there in the warmth with her first cup of coffee.

Free standing wood stoves are extremely efficient. Mine puts out an insane amount of heat and has useable heat for 5 hours on a single fill up. And I have a small one. Bigger ones last longer without touching them

 

[remagenman]

I'd rather have a Fisher wood stove properly installed than a gas fireplace. The Fisher will still put heat out in an emergency. Is the Fisher a true insert?

Yes its a true Fisher and after cleaning it looks hardly used, firebricks are still white. Luckily the home came with a backup generator which i've used a few times in the winter, turns on fast that you cant tell the power went out!

Dang, you all have just made it harder for me to decide!

 

[The Cobbler]

since insurance companies aren't liking wood burning fireplaces much any more, i would check with your insurer first, to see what they have to say

 

[Snapped-off]

Got a pic of your insert? I'd like to get an insert for my fireplace to make it usable.

 

[steve308]

If you don't mind paying for wood to be delivered, stacking the wood, splitting the wood, carrying the wood in from the outside on cold wet snowing days then shoveling out ashes usually still hot and hopefully into an approved fire rated bucket to a safe place to cool before disposal not to mention the in the dust in the house, then woods the way to go. I was happy the day I installed my wood stove (not insert) and happier the day I got rid of it. Look at a propane unit as we don't have natural gas but the installation cost was prohibitive. Went with a pellet stove. Still have to lug 40lb bags of fuel but works on a thermostat and is easy to maintain. I can power it via generator if power goes out.

 

[Snapped-off]

If you don't mind paying for wood to be delivered, stacking the wood, splitting the wood, carrying the wood in from the outside on cold wet snowing days then shoveling out ashes usually still hot and hopefully into an approved fire rated bucket to a safe place to cool before disposal not to mention the in the dust in the house, then woods the way to go. I was happy the day I installed my wood stove (not insert) and happier the day I got rid of it. Look at a propane unit as we don't have natural gas but the installation cost was prohibitive. Went with a pellet stove. Still have to lug 40lb bags of fuel but works on a thermostat and is easy to maintain. I can power it via generator if power goes out.

Seems a little over exaggerated.

 

[remagenman]

Got a pic of your insert? I'd like to get an insert for my fireplace to make it usable.

Just took it now. The TV above is barely in frame.

 

[jar944]

Just took it now. The TV above is barely in frame.

Imho that woodburner > a gas fireplace

 

[ScaldedDog]

For convenience, gas wins, and it isn't close. With the right one (I'm a Mendota fan), you turn it on and off remotely, and it runs off a thermostat when on. For heat, gas wins again, and again by a lot. Ours will burn us out of the living room if we just let it run.

For aesthetics, I like wood, but at least the Mendota's look great, and I assume there are others that do, as well.

For sound? Well, nothing beats a popping cracking wood fire.

Mark

 

[steve308]

Seems a little over exaggerated.

Nope. Lived the woodburner life. Oh, didn't mention the triple wall pipe creosote fire even though the pipe was cleaned and stove was a catalytic converter exhaust burn model. However, if heat is what you seek, wood burning is the best.

 

[Snapped-off]

Nope. Lived the woodburner life. Oh, didn't mention the triple wall pipe creosote fire even though the pipe was cleaned and stove was a catalytic converter exhaust burn model. However, if heat is what you seek, wood burning is the best.

Well my experience with wood isn't so dramatic as yours was.

No need to pay for it to be delivered. Get out and cut it. There is plenty of wood out there for free. Chimney cleaned annually, never had a chimney fire.. Ashbox gets dumped weekly. And if you're waiting for a wet and snowy day to bring some wood in, that's poor planning in my opinion.

Actually we barely cut any wood this year. Most of it was already taken down. Just had to load it up get it home... That's all for the next 2 seasons though.

Just trading a little time and sweat is all.

 

[rmanrman]

I’ve had a wood burning insert stove at my previous house and loved the heat it produced. Hated getting the wood then stacking then the cleaning out after a burn.
I’m now in my retirement home that I built 8 years ago and I decided to go with a direct vent (saved $10k on no chimney) regal 85% efficiency propane fireplace.
Two reasons I’m almost 70 and a bad shoulder, also we live rural area and if a winter storm comes I have a backup heat source. Just remember to buy the on/off control not the remote fancy set your temperature remote that will not work during a power outages.

 

[Jackfre]

Adding a gas log to that stove would cost a fortune to run. In our new to us home the PO installed a Peterson Gas log set in the old zero clearance wood box. The last month the PO were in the place (1400 sq ft) their gas bill was $550. I ran it for 5 min and shut it down. No heat comes off this thing. It is ridiculous. Fishers are great wood burners. If you want wood, keep it. If convenience, go gas. Sell the Fisher. There is a ready market for it and then buy a direct vent gas fireplace of your choice. Pay attention to the sound of the blower. The audio side of an install has a big impact on your comfort. Also, I suspect that with the TV over the Fisher it was not burned very often. That install would burn up a tv in short order

 

[CraigStu]

We have had most options except for a real wood fireplace. Our previous house had a gas log fireplace w/ a glass door. We immediately noticed that most of the heat was behind the glass and up the chimney. It wasn't a real chimney it was just 6 inch or so OD pipe at maybe a 45deg angle that vented outside. First time I walked past it when the fireplace was running I was appalled. So I installed a fan similar to the one linked above. At least we got some heat then to go w/ the nice looking fire. Our retirement house we went back to gas ventless wall units. Not much to look at but they about $400 for 30,000btus and are something like 97% efficient. The feel of the heat is very close to the feel from one of our old freestanding wood stoves. We did find out not to get the thermostatically controlled unit. It goes off and on as it should but, w/ it 6ft from my wife's living room lazyboy, the sound is annoying as heck especially if the fan is going off and on also. The thermo controlled unit is now in my garage running off of a BBQ propane tank.

 

[Bert_]

Free standing wood stoves are extremely efficient. Mine puts out an insane amount of heat and has useable heat for 5 hours on a single fill up. And I have a small one. Bigger ones last longer without touching them

Most stoves have awful efficiency.

 

[jar944]

Most stoves have awful efficiency.

Not compared to a fireplace

 

[P0234]

Most stoves have awful efficiency.

Compared to what? Any modern EPA approved stove is going to be at least around 90%.

 

[Bert_]

Compared to what? Any modern EPA approved stove is going to be at least around 90%.

Not compared to a fireplace

Yes a fireplace is definitely worse. I completely agree with you.

In my opinion anyone claiming 90% overall efficiency out of a metal box wood stove is lying to you, or at least misleading.

There are probably stoves that will give 90% combustion efficiency. That 90% is with perfectly dry wood, a wide open damper, in a lab. But you also have to consider thermal efficiency. With metal stove pipe and natural draft I bet it's not much over 70%, I'll ll give it 75%. 75% and 90% is 68% overall efficiency under lab conditions. That's not that bad really.

Most people close the damper so they don't get roasted out of the house and they close it even more to try and get a fire to last through the night. A cold smoldering fire sends up all kinds of wasted energy as smoke and creosote. I bet most are averaging 50% combustion efficiency or less. Multiply that by 75% thermal efficiency and you end up getting about 30% of the energy in that wood as heat in your house.

 

[jar944]

Yes a fireplace is definitely worse. I completely agree with you.

In my opinion anyone claiming 90% overall efficiency out of a metal box wood stove is lying to you, or at least misleading.

There are probably stoves that will give 90% combustion efficiency. That 90% is with perfectly dry wood, a wide open damper, in a lab. But you also have to consider thermal efficiency. With metal stove pipe and natural draft I bet it's not much over 70%, I'll ll give it 75%. 75% and 90% is 68% overall efficiency under lab conditions. That's not that bad really.

Most people close the damper so they don't get roasted out of the house and they close it even more to try and get a fire to last through the night. A cold smoldering fire sends up all kinds of wasted energy as smoke and creosote. I bet most are averaging 50% combustion efficiency or less. Multiply that by 75% thermal efficiency and you end up getting about 30% of the energy in that wood as heat in your house.

Iirc its 74 or 76% to qualify for the current tax credit and most don't meet that standard. I'm looking to buy a high efficiency zero clearance fireplace to replace a gas unit and the selection is very limited at 75% or better

However it's irrelevant if you didn't pay for the wood, or paid less per btu (after efficiency is accounted for) than Electricity, Coal, Oil, NG or Propane.

 

[WordMan]

Wood burning, please. If I wanted to watch my furnace, I'd go sit in the utility room.

 

[Buckaroo5]

I had a gas log fireplace just for looks - didn't depend on it for any kind of meaningful heat. I much prefer wood - the popping and the smell puts me in a happy place. I took it out and used the gas line to install a gas log lighter which really makes the wood fire starting process fast and effortless although obviously not as easy as the gas logs. Down at the cabin, I have a Brunco Spitfire wood/coal stove with a blower which I am still trying to figure out - it seems very efficient but it is a 1980's model - it can heat the whole place but has a fairly long come-up time. This will be my first winter using it. Plenty of "free" wood - just have to cut & split it!

 

[P0234]

Iirc its 74 or 76% to qualify for the current tax credit and most don't meet that standard. I'm looking to buy a high efficiency zero clearance fireplace to replace a gas unit and the selection is very limited at 75% or better

However it's irrelevant if you didn't pay for the wood, or paid less per btu (after efficiency is accounted for) than Electricity, Coal, Oil, NG or Propane.

Exactly, I don't think there is any math that makes burning wood look like you are saving any money unless you are getting free wood. Last time I did the math, the wood would have to be ~$100-150/cord to kind of make sense against running a high efficiency heat pump. Even less if you are comparing to gas. And then you have to factor in your labor and maintenance items as well.

For me, its either chop it up and burn it in the wood stove/insert or haul it to the dump, which BTW costs about $70 a cord to DUMP the wood....

But I absolutely love it, I'm super fortunate to have the wood, its great exercise, and there is something absolutely amazing about a beautiful real fire.

Also makes for a good grill/oven when the power is out.

 

[engineer2]

I've installed two gas fireplaces in my house. Love the convenience of twisting the timer knob and enjoying the heat. The pets love it too.
I love wood fireplaces too, but they are much more work and the wife wouldn't want to deal with getting logs to build a fire.
My biggest concern when I had a place with a wood burner was safely shutting it down at bedtime.

 

[ripperd]

I like the remote control ease of my gas unit. The main issue with ours what that it did not have a blower. A quick visit to a fireplace shop to chat with a tech, and I discovered how easy it is to add a squirrel cage blower. $130 later from Amazon it arrived and it was a 5 minute install. It hides way in the back underneath the firebox and has a magnetic thermo-switch that kicks the fan on when the pan hits 90 degrees. It stays on until the until cools off. What a difference! Now we get a nice flow of hot air from the vent on top of the unit.

This was going to be my answer.

Gas, and fan. For convenience and heat.