Can You Use Wood In A Gas Burning Fireplace
As wonderful as wood is there may eventually come a day when you d like to convert your fireplace to gas.
Can you use wood in a gas burning fireplace. Some gas fireplaces have all the necessary safety features to burn wood if you wish to convert the fireplace entirely to a wood burning version. I m not positive these chimneys were ever used for wood burning but being 1911 i suspect they were since there. You would have to remove the fake logs to use the fireplace for normal wood fires. Just do a search for gas logs online and you will find several options.
A gas fireplace is not designed to burn wood. Burning wood in it could be a fire hazard or at the very least fill your home with smoke. A gas fireplace can provide unparalleled convenience and the pleasure of a warm fire on a cold day but many people believe nothing compares to the ambiance created by burning wood. Unvented gas logs are designed to produce a very hot flame that results in nearly complete fuel combustion decreasing the levels of carbon monoxide and soot that are produced by other gas logs.
Energy efficiency cleanliness and or compliance with local law forbidding operation of a wood fireplace. When that day comes it ll mean the end of buying stacking and hauling wood. This depends on whether your gas fireplace is actually a gas fireplace or a wood fireplace converted for gas. The cost to convert a wood burning fireplace to gas depends on the type of insert or log set you choose venting gas plumbing electrical work and finishing materials needed along with labor costs.
If it s a converted wood burning fireplace then you need to basically reverse the conversion removing the gas burning parts to prevent. If you live in an area where wood burning fireplaces are prohibited in new construction old existing fireplaces are probably grandfathered by law. The good news for homeowners who have a gas fueled fireplace but who would prefer a wood burning fireplace is that converting from gas to wood fuel may be an option. Sometime they installed natural gas stoves and used the chimneys for that.
A normal wood burning fireplace can have a set of gas logs installed so you can have a natural gas fire. Burning gas or wood produces carbon monoxide a potentially lethal gas so you might wonder how a fireplace can be safely used without venting its wastes to the outside. My house is built in 1911 and i think it used to have fireplaces but the area in the livingroom where the fireplace may have been is tiny and the exterior wall is flat so no more space came from there. Licensed gas plumbers and contractors typically do the installation for gas inserts and log sets.
If you convert yours to gas you won t be able to change your mind later and start burning wood again although you may be allowed to use an epa certified wood stove or fireplace insert. Venting is via the existing chimney. There are several motivations for gas fireplace insert installation.