Choosing Between Gas and Wood Burning Fireplaces 

A fireplace adds ambiance and value to your home. When a person imagines their perfect house, the home typically includes a comfy home that keeps you and your family warm in the winter, either with a smoothly running heater or getting comfy around a cozy fire. 

It’s hard to resist the temptation 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 opportunity to roast marshmallows indoors. Something you don’t get is an efficient heating source. Wood fires normally receive up to a 15% efficiency rating, considerably lower than a furnace that has consistent service performed. They do generate a lot of heat, 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 house up and out the chimney. 
  • Gas: There have been many aesthetic advances in gas fireplaces. The flames have become more realistic and many models offer diverse adjustments in height. The logs used in gas fireplaces now more closely favor the real thing and come complete with flickering embers, which don’t need you to wait while they simmer out. You can simply switch your gas fireplace on and off, giving you more control over the temperature of you home 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. Imagine the level of comfort you could achieve when you combine that with a fully maintained furnace.  

Air Quality and Maintenance 

  • Wood: Air quality is vital to homeowners and homebuyers. Burning wood causes air pollution in and outside the home and the smoky wood aroma that a wood burning fireplace gives off could be a health hazard. Wood also creates a byproduct called creosote that lines the coating of the chimney and must be removed by a chimney sweep. Much like furnaces that should have furnace service completed consistantly, gas fireplaces also require periodic cleanings of cinders and spent logs. 
  • Gas: Gas fireplaces only require some dusting every now and then and are practically maintenance free. It is advised that you get your gas fireplace cleaned and adjusted once a year by an expert to keep it functioning both safely and effectively. 

If you are interested in converting your wood burning fireplace into a gas fireplace or you need to schedule your yearly furnace service, please call today at 614-334-3192 or schedule an appointment through our website. Our experts will have you cuddled up and warm in no time. 

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