Gas fireplaces are becoming increasingly popular due a number of reasons.
As nice, cosy and romantic as a wood burning fireplace sounds, there are a number of drawbacks as well. Buying wood in smaller quantities is very expensive and costs a lot more than gas. A cheaper way to do it would be to buy it in bulk. I know people who do this, although cheaper, it takes up a lot of time an effort. Wood has to be lugged inside the house or to the storage area. A suitable shelter to store the wood is required so it is protected and can stay dry, another big inconvenience. Gas, on the other hand, is available at the flip of a switch and takes no effort to collect or store.
The wooden fireplace costs more in maintenance, has to be cleaned out regularly and a chimney sweep has to be employed to keep the chimney free from build up of creosote and soot, which can cause physical harm to your lungs.
People are opting for gas fireplaces because they can give you the best of both worlds. Contemporary models can look extremely realistic and can give off the same ambience and atmosphere as a wooden fireplace. Modern gas fireplace logs are made to look so realistic that they even do designs of different species of wood. Vermiculite and wool can also be added to give a realistic glowing effect.
With a wooden fire you have to keep tending to it, making sure it’d continuing to burn nicely and they can often get undesirably hot or cold. With a gas fuelled fire the temperature is easily and precisely controlled and varied with a switch like you would find on a gas stove at home. Once it’s set you can relax, leaving it running for as long as you need without having to move a muscle. Once installed, maintenance costs are kept to a bare minimum as there are a minimal amount of things that could go wrong. As opposed to wood fuelled fireplaces, gas fireplaces burn clean meaning that no dirt or mess is left behind as a by-product.
When looking into purchasing a gas fireplace one of the first and most important things to decide is whether you will use a vented or an vent free model. There are various pro’s and con’s to both types although it is most likely to be considered preferable and more valuable to have a vented model. It would be very advisable to research further into these to find out more before making any other decisions.
Propane and natural gas are generally the two types of fuels most commonly associated for use with Gas Fireplaces. Out of the two, natural gas is more common as it has less carbon monoxide and other poisonous elements.
When wanting to look into fuel potency, rated information should be able to be obtained from the manufacturers or people you purchased off about efficiency of the fuel. If purchasing a fireplace which rates highly for efficiency and quality, you’ll be giving the environment and your bank account a huge favour. Be certain the potency rating is given on paper. It’s not a sensible trusting oral guarantees manufactured by a salesman.
Gas fuelled fireplaces tend to be a lot cheaper than their wooden counterparts. It’s really important to look into pricing and shop around. In the past, fireplaces required a lot more space and a frame of heat resistant materials. The most popular type, a direct vent fireplace, doesn’t need a chimney.
Installation is simpler or more complicated depending on the type of fireplace you choose to go for. Gas Fireplaces come in all shapes and sizes, with all different types of mantels etc. to choose from. Bare in mind also that’s it’s important to remember that going the simplest route to installation can cause more problems down the line. Vent free systems, for example, whilst the simplest to i