Anyone have a gas fireplace?

[Brett Miller]

We are planning to make our present screened-in porch a weathertight structure with good windows, insulated ceiling, etc. We would also like to add a natural gas fireplace. Any BITOG'ers have any suggestions regarding specific brands or features I should look for? I'm only considering direct vent. Thanks.

 

[ARB1977]

My house has a built in gas fire place, just like a regular fire place. It takes a key to turn it on...pretty cool safty feature if you have kids.

 

[mva]

I have 2 that both run with a standard furnace thermostat each. So it cycles on and off. Also they take no power, even the thermostats, so I can still heat my house during a power outage as long as I have gas pressure.

These units put out a lot of heat particularly if you have a small space. Watch for the btu ratings and try to get a low btu unit if you are only heating a single room.

 

[mechtech2]

I've been thinking of running a gas line to my free standing fireplace.
Fire's fire, and heat's heat. And cheaper is cheaper, without the need to buy and haul any logs.

 

[Steve S]

Instead of a fireplace how about a gas fired wood burning like stove . you would probably get more heat with less gas use . One of my friends replaced his wood stove with one that uses gas and works real good.

 

[H2GURU]

Brett,
I was at my FILs house on Cape Cod last weekend, a notoriously cold and raw place this time of year, and was amazed at the amount of heat the gas fireplace provided. I'm sure it will produce the heat you're seeking. I don't have a name of the manufacturer though. After the burner shut off the fan was still giving heat for 15 minutes and this means its super efficient.

 

[duaneb9729]

lennox makes a nice fireplace, yes its the furnace manufacture

and heat and glo makes a nice one also, they recently changed their name and my wonderful memory has kicked in, and i cant recall the new name.

i have installed both, and i wouldnt mind either one in my own home.

most folks need to see one in person to know how they like the flames and how realistic it looks, seems to be a very personal choice.

one option i would consider is a remote control, they have built in thermostats and timers.

i installed one at a friends cabin and he has it set as a back up heater should the main furnace ever give out while he is gone.

 

[Al]

Originally Posted By: Steve S
One of my friends replaced his wood stove with one that uses gas and works real good.


Yea..that's what I did. The nice thing was to be able to use the chimney so it was vented. Again if you are using it for emergeny heat. Make sure it doesn't need electricity to function.

 

[Pablo]

Freestanding = good

Most built in = decorative at best

 

[Steve S]

Freestanding is it .

 

[ryansride2017]

I've owned a freestanding fireplace as well as a "built-in" unit in my previous and present houses. Freestanding is the way to go......much more efficient with heat.

 

[Brett Miller]

We've almost decided on a Regency fireplace. The one thing that surprised me is these things are expensive! With a blower, remote, venting, install, run gas lines, etc, etc. we are looking at $4,500 to $5,000. We will probably do it as, like Al mentioned, it would be nice to have something for heat when the electric goes out.

 

[Scott P]

We bought our house and it has a gas fireplace (built-in). We bought a nice log set for about $300 and once I installed it, it looked pretty sweet and realistic when burning.

 

[Cory]

Originally Posted By: Pablo
Freestanding = good

Most built in = decorative at best


I'll confirm that my built-in is decorative at best. Yes, it will help heat the room that it's in but I don't feel as though it is cost effective. Not to mention the draft problems I have when it's not in use. I have to winterize my fireplace until I can find the culprit. Think I have to remove the siding and work my way in to find the source of my drafts.

 

[TylerL]

My parents have a ventless gas built-in that we used basically for roasting marshmallows. Leaks gas from somewhere so we have not used it in 10 years.