A fireplace adds聽personality聽and value to your home. When聽a person imagines聽their聽perfect house,聽the dream聽typically includes a聽comfortable聽home that keeps you and your family warm in the winter, either with a smoothly running聽heater聽or聽snuggling聽around a cozy fire.
It’s hard to resist the聽temptation聽of a聽warm聽fire, but how do you聽decide聽between a gas or wood-burning fireplace? There are many聽points聽to consider when deciding how to聽make sure your home stays warm through those cold, winter months.
Aesthetics and Efficiency
- 奥辞辞诲:听A wood-burning fireplace typically wins in the聽experience聽category. You get the crackle. You get the pop. You get the聽opportunity聽to roast marshmallows indoors. Something you don’t get is聽an effective聽heating source. Wood fires聽usually聽receive up to a 15% efficiency rating,聽much聽lower than a furnace that has聽routine聽service performed. They do聽generate a lot of heat, but most of that heat聽is released聽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聽house up聽the chimney.
- Gas:聽There have been many聽aesthetic聽advances in gas fireplaces. The flames have become more realistic and聽some versions聽offer聽various聽heights. The聽ceramic logs聽used in gas fireplaces now聽more closely favor聽the real thing and come complete with聽glimmering聽embers, which don’t聽force聽you to wait while they聽simmer聽out. You can聽simply聽switch your gas fireplace on and聽off, giving you more control聽over聽your home's temperature聽and frees you from having to聽tend to聽your fire. The lack of fire stealing oxygen gives gas fireplaces a 75% to 99% efficiency rating.聽Imagine聽the level of comfort you could聽achieve聽when you聽pair聽that with a聽well-maintained聽furnace.
Air Quality and Maintenance
- 奥辞辞诲:听Air quality is聽crucial聽to聽all homeowners. Burning wood聽generates聽air pollution in and outside聽the聽home and the smoky wood聽odor聽that a wood-burning fireplace聽exudes聽could be聽hazardous to your family's. Wood also creates a byproduct called creosote that lines the coating of the chimney and must be removed by聽a professional chimney sweep. Much like furnaces that should have furnace service completed聽annually, gas fireplaces also require聽regular聽cleanings of聽ashes聽and spent logs.
- Gas:聽Gas fireplaces聽only require a bit of dusting聽every now and then and are聽just about聽maintenance-free. It is聽recommended聽that you get your gas fireplace cleaned and adjusted聽yearly聽by聽a professional聽to keep it聽running聽both safely and聽smoothly.
If you are interested in converting your wood-burning fireplace into a gas fireplace聽or聽you simply need聽to schedule聽seasonal聽furnace service, please聽call us at聽(866) 963-7996 or聽schedule an appointment聽on our website. Our experts will have you聽cuddled聽up聽by the fire聽in no time.
