Choosing Between Gas and Wood Burning Fireplaces
A fireplace adds character and value to your home. When a person imagines their perfect house, the house typically includes a cozy home that keeps you and your family warm in the winter, either with a smoothly running heating system or getting comfy around a cozy fire.
It’s hard to resist the appeal of of a crackling fire, but how do you decide between a gas or wood burning fireplace? There are many points to consider when deciding how to heat your home.
Aesthetics and Efficiency
- Wood: A wood burning fireplace typically wins in the sensation category. You get the crackle. You get the pop. You get the ability to roast marshmallows indoors. Something you don’t get is an effective heating source. Wood fires normally receive up to a 15% efficiency rating, a lot lower than a furnace that has routine service performed. They do reach high temperatures, but most of that heat disappears up the chimney. Wood burning fireplaces not only lose the heat coming from the fire, but it also pulls warm air from other parts of the home up the chimney.
- Gas: There have been many aesthetic advances in gas fireplaces. The flames have become more realistic and many versions offer varied heights. The ceramic logs used in gas fireplaces now more closely resemble the real thing and come complete with flickering embers, which don’t require you to wait while they go out. You can simply switch your gas fireplace on and off, providing you more control over your home’s temperature and frees you from having to tend to your fire. The lack of fire stealing oxygen gives gas fireplaces a 75% to 99% efficiency rating. Picture the level of comfort you could have when you incorporate that with a fully maintained furnace.
Air Quality and Maintenance
- Wood: Air quality is critical to homeowners and homebuyers. Burning wood creates air pollution in and outside the home and the smoky wood odor that a wood burning fireplace exudes could be hazardous to your family’s. Wood also creates a byproduct called creosote that lines the coating of the chimney and must be removed by an expert. Much like furnaces that should have furnace service completed regularly, gas fireplaces also require periodic cleanings of embers and spent logs.
- Gas: Gas fireplaces require a little bit of dusting every now and then and are practically maintenance free. It is recommended that you get your gas fireplace cleaned and adjusted yearly by an expert to keep it running both safely and smoothly.
If you want to find out more information about converting your wood burning fireplace into a gasfire place or you simply want to schedule your seasonal furnace service, please call today at 614-334-3192 or schedule an appointment online. Our experts will have you cuddled up and comfortably warm in no time.
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