Choosing Between Gas and Wood Burning Fireplaces
January 20, 2016
A fireplace adds character and value to your home. When a person imagines their dream home, the home typically includes a comfy home that keeps you and your family warm in the winter, either with a smoothly running heating system or snuggling around a cozy fire.
It’s hard to resist the temptation of of a toasty fire, but how do you decide between a gas or wood burning fireplace? There are many points to consider when deciding how to keep your home nice and toasty.
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 a powerful heating source. Wood fires typically receive up to a 15% efficiency rating, a lot lower than a furnace that has consistent service performed. They do get very hot, but most of that heat is released 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 house up and out the chimney.
- Gas: There have been many aesthetic advances in gas fireplaces. The flames have become more realistic and many designs offer various adjustments in height. The types of logs used in gas fireplaces now more closely favor the real thing and come complete with glowing embers, which don’t force you to wait while they simmer out. You can merely switch your gas fireplace on and off which gives you more control over room 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. Just picture the level of comfort you could get when you pair that with a fully serviced furnace.
Air Quality and Maintenance
- Wood: Air quality is vital to all homeowners. Burning wood generates air pollution in and outside your family’s home and the smoky wood smell that a wood burning fireplace exudes could be hazardous to your health. Wood also creates a byproduct called creosote that lines the coating of the chimney and must be removed by a professional chimney sweep. Much like furnaces that should have furnace service completed regularly, gas fireplaces also require regular cleanings of soot and spent logs.
- Gas: Gas fireplaces require a little bit of dusting every now and then and are just about maintenance free. It is suggested that you get your gas fireplace cleaned and adjusted every 12 months by an expert to keep it functioning both safely and smoothly.
