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Questions to ask:
Home » Outdoor Furniture » Fireplaces » Questions to ask:• Wood or Gas? Wood is more traditional. It has all the quaint cozy ambiance of a fire: the sound of a crackly log, the dance of a real flame. It also has the mess of smoke and wood. A wood fire can also be frustrating to start if the wood is not dry or you do not have sufficient tender. Gas is all about convenience. Turn the switch and enjoy the fire. Gas logs are becoming more and more authentic in appearance every year. They are often hard to tell from a wood fire.
• Vented or Ventless? Gas log units also come in either vented units or models that require no external vent at all. Ventless are more easily installed, but they burn with a less-natural blue flame in order to have as complete and clean a burn as possible. They also give off condensation as they burn. A vented gas long unit has a more desirable yellow flame, but requires a properly installed exterior vent.
• Propane or Natural gas? If you choose a gas fireplace, make sure you buy a unit designed for the type of gas available where you live. Natural gas is delivered by pipe directly to your house with continuous on-demand supply. Propane, on the other hand, is delivered in a tank by truck for those house not serviced by natural gas. Propane also requires a large tank be placed on your property near the house to store the gas. One advantage of propane is that you can buy in when gas prices are low and store for use later, thus saving you money.
• Looks or Heat? The fireplace just for looks and the fireplace to heat your house are two fundamentally different options. Although many very heat efficient fireplace options can be very beautiful, be honest with yourself about your intended use before buying. Highly efficient wood stoves and inserts are also very expensive. So are very beautiful ornate fireplaces and mantels. Assess your priorities and put your money where your greatest personal return is.
• Built–in or Freestanding? What look are your trying to achieve. A traditional fireplace is built into the wall. This allows you to have the added attractive feature of a mantel. Freestanding stoves can give a quaint antique look to a room. The also bring the heat source out into the room, making it more cozy. With that, however, comes the added risk of burns from exposed hot surfaces on all four sides.
• Which room? Fireplaces were once the almost exclusive domain of the main rooms where people lived, the so-called living rooms and family rooms. As lifestyles have changed fireplaces can now be found in any room of the house: kitchens, bedrooms, bathrooms, offices, basements.
• Inside or Outside? Fireplaces used to be synonymous with interior rooms, but increasingly are becoming popular for exterior spaces as well. Outside fireplaces are a great addition to patios, decks, and barbeque areas. As people gather, live, and eat more outside, the element of fire makes a great addition to your outside space.
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