Using wood for your fireplace has its unique charm, but it comes with a few risks. Embers from an improperly put-out fire can cause accidents and stored timber can be a starting point for a termite infestation. Modern fireplaces that use gas have become quite popular, and there are several reasons why:
Safety
Traditional fireplaces have flying embers that can escape your furnace and cause damage to your floors or even start a fire. Log fires can get out of hand when unattended and putting them out requires utmost care. With a gas fireplace, you have absolute control over your fire, requiring a mere twist of a knob to regulate heat or stop the fire. Even when left unattended, there are no flying embers, and your fire remains at a constant level.
Venting
Traditional fireplaces require venting — which can be impossible for most apartment-type homes. You’ll need to construct a chimney or some other venting option if you want a traditional fireplace. On the other hand, gas fireplaces can provide you with the heat and fire that you desire without needing additional venting. Gas fireplaces come with a vent-less option that provides the same heat while producing minimal emissions.
Aesthetics
You can use several types of firestones for your fireplaces or firepits. Firestones give your fireplace or fire pit a seemingly magical appearance, and they go well with modern or antique fireplace mantels. You have the option of using colored stones to match your preferences or your room’s design. Firestones come in several colors, shapes, and sizes, and you can switch from one colored stone to another on special occasions or set the mood of a party or gathering. They might not have the crackling sound of logs, but firestones have a quite fascinating and ethereally beautiful quality.
Cleaner Air
Gas fireplaces produce little to zero particulates and absolutely no smoke. The smoke from a wood-burning firepit can be quite irritating to the eyes, nose, and throat. That soothing smell of burning wood, that’s particulates and smoke entering your lungs. As the smoke gets into your lungs, it can cause more severe problems like bronchitis and lung cancer. Gas burns a lot cleaner than wood — no particulates in the air that can enter your lungs and no soot to clean afterward.
Cost
Unless you cut your own logs, traditional fireplaces can be more expensive to use. A traditional fireplace can use around $200 worth of logs in a year while running a gas fireplace for that same period will cost around $60. Traditional fireplaces also require more maintenance and cleaning. If you’re thinking about installing a stove, traditional fireplaces will have 2-3 times the price of a gas fireplace.
Overall, traditional wood-burning fireplaces have a certain appeal, but modern gas fireplaces are safer, cleaner, more efficient, and less expensive. The appearance of burning wood does have a certain appeal, but fire stones give your furnace a much more modern look as well as a more elegant appearance.
