Gas Fireplace? (Yes, in July)

[question everything]

We were really cold this winter in the family room. It has a wod fireplace that we do not use but, apparently, there are enough leaks around it to send cold air. We flattened several cardboard boxes and kinda put them in front of the glass door.

We had someone doing energy audit and he said that "normally" he would recommend to convert a wood fireplace to a gas one, that can really heat the room and can allow us to lower the thermostat for the rest of the house. However, with gas prices keep going up, he no longer recommends this.

For me, this makes perfect sense. Because gas prices are going up, it will make sense to keep the thermostat low for the rest of the house and invest in such a conversion.

Anyone has any opinion about it?

Thanks.

[MercutioATC]

1. Do you have free/cheap access to wood?

[question everything]

5. No. We would purchase those few logs at the gas station

and, as I've said rarely use it since I think it is not very efficient.

[MercutioATC]

7. You're in friggin' MINNESOTA...trees grow there.

Forget the ads in the paper...tap your friend's friends for somebody who lives in the country who cuts firewood.


Wood's the way to go if you can avoid paying city-slicker prices.

[dysfunctional press]

13. if it's anything like around here- wood is cheaper than what i'd be willing to work for.

a face-cord of wood delivered and stacked for $125. less if you buy more than one face cord. i generally buy 3 and pay $340. there's NO WAY i'd want to chop and split and stack that much wood if i was being paid that amount of money.
unless maybe if a hydraulic splitter was involved.

[Digit]

2. It can be really nice when you lose power in the winter

At least that is what I usually use it for.

[mtf80123]

3. Wood Pellet

Have you looked in to wood pellet stoves?

They are very popular around here and are very cheap to run.

[lonestarnot]

4. I think Madokie has one of those and loves it.

[question everything]

6. You mean, replace the fireplace with a wood burning stove?

Will have to look into it - cost of the stove and the pellets.

[TlalocW]

8. If you're going to look into wood pellet stoves, also look into corn stoves

Apparently those things work like gangbusters. Plus it gives your house a nice popcorn aroma. ;)

TlalocW

[mtf80123]

10. Interesting...

My folks have one... yet they burn everything from Corn Stover pellets to Wood waste pellets.

To my understanding they can burn any peletized source of bio-fuel (except liqid of course).

[spag68]

9. What ever you do

get a good airtight stove, heavy cast or ceramic. My bro in Pgh.Pa. uses his at night, and a couple small logs at 11pm will leave the stove still warm at 6 am. This in a 1300 sq. ft. house. I'm sure where you live there are others with wood stoves, and usually you can get together with someone with access to a splitter, or if you want a workout, you can use a sledge and a wedge. Either way it's best to get your wood in the spring, so it has a chance to dry and cure a little before use in the winter. It's even better if you can get next years wood and let it sit for a full year under a tarp. As a secondary heat source you can't beat a good wood stove.

[yardwork]

11. I've lived in houses with gas fireplaces and they're not all that effective.

Yes, it was nice to have the gas fireplace the time we lost power during an ice storm, but it didn't produce that much heat, even in a large masonry fireplace. You had to get right up next to it to get much benefit.

I agree with those recommending that you look into a stove. Much more efficient than any kind of fireplace - wood or gas.

[AlCzervik]

12. i had a vermont castings gas fireplace installed about 2 years ago, it has a 6 speed fan

and has a remote control, it cut my gas bill in half. that sucker cranks out the heat.

[NNN0LHI]

14. I am just about ready to replace my furnace and air conditioner and think I am going Geo Thermal

The more I think about it the more I like the idea. No flames, no fumes, no odors, and no threat of carbon monoxide and it doesn't burn fossil fuels. Just the safety aspect alone is worth a lot to me.

http://www.geocomfort.com/

Don