There’s just something about a crackling wood fire that transports some people to their happy place. The glowing embers provide an ambiance to your home and a feeling deep in the recesses of your soul that is almost impossible to duplicate. As you sit there and watch the dancing flames, you’re taken to a place of almost childlike wonderment, somewhere where nothing and no one can steal your joy.
And then it happens; the proverbial screaming baby boards the airplane and you cannot ignore it forever. As its cries grow louder with each passing moment, you have no choice but to acknowledge it. At some point in the very near future, you’re going to have to clean the fireplace. Consider your buzz officially killed.
There are alternatives to wood burning fireplaces that will give you the warm, tingly feelings while they’re burning but won’t leave you a pile of ashes to clean up when all is said and done. Let’s take a minute or two to consider the virtues of gas fireplaces and gas fireplace inserts.
The majority of traditional gas fireplaces consist of ceramic logs that sit atop a steel grate, just as wood logs do. The gas itself is distributed through a layer of sand with special glowing embers beneath the grate. When in operation, this setup is almost indistinguishable from your traditional wood-burning fireplace setup and provides a similar amount of warmth to boot.
Gas log sets are also extremely easy to operate, as all you need to do is simply hold a fireplace match or fireplace lighter below the logs and turn on the gas for an instant fire. And the best part is you don’t have to worry about chopping and carrying logs or continually adding wood to the fire to ensure that it doesn’t burn out. As long as your tank has gas, you’ll be able to stay nice and toasty.
Another huge advantage of gas versus wood is the elimination of the potential buildup of creosote on the inside of your chimney. The final key advantage is the overall cost of operation of the fireplace itself. Gas log fireplaces are cheaper to own and operate than their wood burning counterparts, and the savings realized from making the switch will pay for the gas log set in a relatively short amount of time (1-2 years tops).
As you can see, you have options. Convenience is leading more people to convert wood-burning fireplaces to gas. People are looking to get away from doing the additional work associated with wood-burning fireplaces. They want to make things easier. Gas fireplaces are easy to start, easy to stop, relatively maintenance-free, and because they offer the presence of actual flames, gas log fireplaces give you a very convincing wood-burning aesthetic without all the fuss. It’s really the best of both worlds.
If you’re unhappy with your wood burning fireplace and the extra hassles associated with maintaining it, a gas fireplace or gas log set might be something worth considering. No more screaming babies to ruin the mood for you. This conversion will likely provide you with more free time, as it will relieve you of your wood hauling, cutting, stacking, and carrying duties. What will you do with your newly reacquired time?