February 4, 2021
Tired of dealing with burning wood in your fireplace—or maybe you haven’t used yours before, because of the hassle? It’s hard to argue with the convenience or cost-efficiency of gas logs, especially if you already use a gas furnace and/or water heater. Fortunately, if you already have a functioning wood-burning fireplace with ventilation, this is an easy question to answer: Yes, you can use gas logs in your fireplace. But the details can get more complicated, and the whole issue requires even more nuance if your fireplace isn’t a real vented fireplace for burning wood. Luckily, Breakaway is here to help you get through the process. Continue reading to learn more about converting your existing fireplace to gas logs.
What You Need to Know About Converting Your Fireplace to Gas Logs
Gas Logs: Can These Be Added to Your Existing Fireplace?
You have a few options when you’re looking at gas alternatives for your fireplace—gas logs and gas fireplaces come in two venting options, vented and ventless. Either of these options can be put directly in your home’s existing fireplace:
· Vented Gas Logs
Vented gas logs, inserts, and fireplaces work very similarly to a traditional fireplace, in that they produce carbon monoxide. This is why you need a working chimney – so that those fumes can be properly vented to the outside (and not the inside of your house).
· Ventless Gas Logs
Ventless gas logs, inserts, and fireplaces are instead designed for very complete combustion, and can be used in a fireplace with a sealed flue or no flue at all; think of it as being more akin to a gas space heater, but shaped like logs and sitting in your fireplace.
Should I Get Vented or Ventless Gas Logs?
Whether you choose vented or ventless gas logs depends on quite a few factors. Each gas log venting type has its own advantages and disadvantages.
The top reasons to get a vented gas log set include:
- It can be installed in an existing fireplace with a working chimney
- The flame is more realistic and produces the best aesthetic – yellow flames are usually taller
- The gas logs can be rearranged in any position
- Installation is more affordable than ventless gas log
The top reasons to get a ventless or vent-free gas log set include:
- Working chimney, or flue being open, is not required
- Provides more heat than vented gas logs because more heat stays in the home
- More environmentally friendly because the fuel burns almost completely to make less pollution
- Uses less fuel than a vented gas log because it is more efficient, so the ongoing costs are less
It is worth noting some of the cons of a vent-free gas log system. They can emit an odor into the room when using. They can also create condensation on nearby windows. Vent-free options also have more limitations to their installation due to clearance to combustibles such as wooden mantels above the fireplace. Sometimes a protective hood may be required. These are all things that you can discuss with a heating expert, like Breakaway, as you contemplate which gas log set type is best for your home.
Related Post: Direct Vent vs. Vent-Free Gas Logs & Fireplaces: Which One is Better for Your Cape Cod Home?
How Much Does It Cost to Install Gas Logs in a Fireplace?
The specific price for converting a wood fireplace into a gas log set or gas fireplace depends on a few factors. This includes whether you choose the previously mentioned vented or ventless options. There will need to be a gas line installed to fuel the gas log set as well. You can expect to pay more for your gas log installations if your heating contractor has a difficult time getting the gas line into your fireplace. Vented gas logs are usually more affordable and carry a lower price point than ventless gas logs. So, if your budget is more limited, a vented gas log installation might be the solution for you.
Why You’ll Want Professional Help When Installing Gas Logs into Your Fireplace
If you’re used to completing DIY projects in your home, then you may expect to be able to tackle the challenge of installing a gas log setup on your own—but this isn’t an installation you should be tackling on your own. There are permits you need for your Cape Cod town and gas line work you might need done that’s dangerous. Not to mention that when dealing with fire, you’ll want to be 100% sure that the fumes are venting correctly.
Depending on whether you’re using vented logs, ventless logs, installing an insert, or committing to a full gas fireplace installation, the volume of work can range from ‘requires specialist knowledge of how to run gas lines and get appropriate permits and safety certifications’ to ‘quite a bit more than that, and you might destroy your house trying to add a chimney’. So leave this one to the professionals, like Breakaway.
Related Post: Wood Burning Fireplaces vs. Gas Fireplaces: What’s Better for You?
Need to Convert Your Fireplace to Gas Logs on Cape Cod? Breakaway Can Help!
Making the move to gas logs is smart for most people; it’s energy efficient, it’s easier to manage, you’re not going to accidentally carry in large insects or other pests, and with some installations you’ll have more intense heat faster than burning wood could ever easily offer. Many gas log solutions can look amazingly realistic, if you still want the aesthetics of burning wood—it’s generally agreed that vented gas logs look the closest to real wood burning set ups, if that matters to you, at the expense of being less effective as a source of heat than the rest.
Breakaway offers gas log installations throughout the Cape Cod, MA area. Our skilled technicians can help you navigate your wood to gas fireplace conversion. We carry many heating product brands, including Real Fyre by RH Peterson, White Mountain Hearth, Majestic, Monesson, and Berkshire Mountain. We work with our parent company, Hall Oil Gas and Electric, in order to handle both the sale of the gas log product, as well as the installation. In addition, we can help our customers with repair and maintenance of their gas log sets after installation. Breakaway also sells and installs gas fireplaces, gas inserts, decorative gas stoves, and fire pits. If you’re not sure which gas heating product is right for you, look no further. Breakaway is here to help! We can answer all of your questions and offer advice based on your situation.
So, are you ready for gas log service or installations from Breakaway? Contact us online or call us at 508-398-3831 to inquire further. Or, visit us in store at either our South Dennis or Mashpee locations to discuss further with our gas heating product specialists or get a quote.
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