What’s the Best Fireplace for You?
Everyone loves curling up with a good book next to a warm fireplace. Midwestern winters are extremely brutal and sometimes aren’t a match for just a furnace or boiler. A fireplace is a great addition to a home to add a little more cozy. Going through the hassle of gathering wood (whether that’s from chopping trees down in your backyard or running to the gas station on the corner), prepping the wood, setting it up perfectly to get a good burn, and then attempting to light it may be worth it if you’re ready to settle in for hours, but what happens if you just want to relax for an evening show and then decide it’s time to head off to bed? All that work just to extinguish the fire which just leaves a mess behind. What if there’s an easier way?
A gas fireplace is an excellent and convenient way to enjoy a fire with just the touch of a button. Using a combustion and exhaust system, a gas fireplace is a safe and efficient way to heat your home. Like a gas stovetop, a pilot light is lit in the base of a sealed chamber. When you’re ready to start a fire, air is let into the chamber to cause a combustion and igniting the fire. While the fire is contained in a pipe and released through a series of small holes, people often chose a set up with ceramic logs or glass pieces very creatively called fire glass. Whichever you choose is mostly just for aesthetics. When gas fireplaces as we know them today were first introduced, ceramic logs were the more popular addition to gas fireplaces to make them look more “realistic,” but it was always very obvious they were not real wood. Today, people have given up trying to make them look real and have been opting for fireglass to add a more modern element to their home.
Gas fireplaces are convenient, easy to operate, and a beautiful addition to any home. They are an amazing option if you want something low maintenance. Gas fireplaces will not produce any smoke or embers because there is nothing physically burning. This makes them extremely popular among families with small kids or pets.
While there are many positives to installing a gas fireplace, there are also negatives that need to be acknowledged. Right now, gas can be very pricey, so if you plan on using your fireplace as the primary source of heat for your home it may not be the best option for you. Real wood fireplaces also burn hotter, which could be a pro or a con depending on you as an individual. Being able to control how much heat is being put out would be a benefit to some! Last, much like keeping up with chimney maintenance to prevent a chimney fire, keep a close eye on all gas lines. Natural gas can be deadly if a problem goes unnoticed, however with proper care you should have nothing to worry about.
If you feel like a gas fireplace is the best option for you, contact us today to set up a consultation with our team! We will show you what options you have and will walk you through which would be best for your home!
