Fireplace Insert: Wood or Gas?

12 years ago

Please vote & then comment with any experience that you may have. Thanks for any input!

We keep putting off getting a fireplace insert for this fireplace in our basement because we can't decide between wood & gas. The basement does not have any heat currently. There is central heat & air upstairs. We don't want an electric insert because we want back up heat if the power is out.

The arguments I keep going over in my head:

WOOD: I had wood heat growing up & I know its warm. Sometimes we are gone for a few days at a time (not a lot) visiting family so the basement would be cold when we come home. Wood would definitely be cheaper, but we would still have to buy it because we have no place to cut it ourselves. We do have space to store it. From a cost standpoint, it would be probably be worth it.

GAS: I like the idea of gas because we can set how much heat it puts out & not have to worry about keeping the fire going. It would also keep the temp steady while we are away. My main concern with it is the cost of the propane. We would have to get a tank in the backyard. Having a tank filled costs approximately $700 & may have to be filled up more than once per winter. Unfortunately natural gas lines do not run through our area so that's not an option.

WOOD INSERT

GAS INSERT

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Comments (3)

mcbmd3
12 years ago
I had a similar dilemma when adding on a family room 5 years ago. My husband and I love the wood burning fireplace in the living room BUT the thought of bringing in the wood, dropping debris on the carpet, starting a fire from scratch seemed like too much trouble and annoyance. We are thrilled with the gas fireplace and have never regretted our decision. Remember there is more to cost than dollars and cents; our heating bills have gone DOWN since installing it.
chrisinky thanked mcbmd3
PRO
Brickwood Builders, Inc.
12 years ago
We put regular gas logs into our wood burning fireplace and they are fueled by propane. The issue is that building codes require that the damper be set where it is permanently opened or it is removed. You must have glass doors to close in order not to lose all of the heat up the chimney.

You can have a propane fueled direct vent insert put into the fireplace and it would have a sealed glass front and not have the issue. The cost is generally about 3 times the cost of just putting in gas logs but the savings over time is significant.

I have no experience with a wood insert so I can't comment on that. I would say that I would not leave any of the choices running while I was gone.
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chrisinky
Original Author
12 years ago
I do want an insert so I can close the fire off & no fire will "jump" into the room. My brother has a wood fireplace with glass doors that stays VERY warm & my parents have a gas fireplace with the mesh screen. Neither of them have had any problems. I don't think I will have any issues with codes or ordinances. I live in a small town so there's not too many ordinances on anything.

If they were to put natural gas through my neighborhood in the future, could I change a gas insert that had been using a propane tank over to a natural gas line? That is a possibility, but not soon enough to help now.

Also can the wood pellets be used in inserts or do they have to be used in special stoves? The wood pellets can be bought in bags so there's not much mess.