Gas Fireplace Question

[Chicken Dinner]

Has anyone ever converted a wood burning fireplace to gas? My house was built in 1946 and the mortar between the tiles is starting to go. I'm thinking it might be easier to convert the damn thing to gas than reline it. I'm not looking to heat my house, just take the chill off on a cold night and look nice. Any pros, cons or anything I should consider?

[jb]

Biggest thing is how easy it is to run a gas line to your fireplace.
If you can get a gas line into the firebox and find a place for a shut off valve, it's a piece of cake.
Just remember to keep your flue damper open when using gas.
They make some great gas logs, that both look good and give off some heat.

[Chicken Dinner]

The gas line comes into the house maybe 12-15' from the fireplace and runs through the floor joists under the living room. Access is easy as that is the unfinished part of my basement where my shop and storage is.

[Bwana]

Did it to...make that I had one installed at the last house we lived in and what jb says is true. Knowing what I know now, I'd be willing to do the next one myself.

Just occurred to me that you will also need to be able to get electricity to the unit.

[BarryBobPosthole]

Sorry, but I'm a traditionalist. I like to burn wood. Of course, I don't live where it gets cold enough to where a wood fireplace is VERY inefficient. But most of the time I can build a small fire in mine and it'll cozy up the family room in no time. Smells good too!

BKB

[Captain]

Well at home in NC we go for wood only. In an open fireplace. Love the smell, sight and sound.
At the SC farm I have bought but not installed a set of gas logs. Some of you might remember I was down there this past winter during a LONG, BAD cold snap keeping water to cattle and the heat pump whet out. I know Thumper remembers cause he gave me hell about not being able to wittle a part out of a piece of wheat and fix it myself.
Anyway I froze for a couple of nights and decided it was time for a back up plan....

Sent from my iPhone using Forum Runner

[Chicken Dinner]

I hear ya Barry. But, I don't want to pay $2,800 to have the flu relined so I can have a fire 6-8 times a year when I can convert it to gas for less and flip it on whenever I want. I compare it to a gas vs . Charcoal grill. Sure, I prefer my BGE. However, my Weber Genesis sits right next to it in my deck and gets used during the week when I'm running kids all over the place after work.

[BarryBobPosthole]

I am still kicking myself for not having a full masonry firreplace put into my house when we build it. Instead, because of cost, prolly so SHE could put some fru fru bullshit light or something somewhere, we had a 'regular' one like they build nowadays with a liner and siding.

We had a full masonry fireplace in the house I grew up in. It was built on an inside wall and the back of the fireplace was the main bathroom wall on the other side. After a day or two in winter those bricks would get warm and heat the whole interior of the house and kept the bathroom nice and toasty.

BKB

BKB