Airstud From United States of America, joined Nov 2000, 1472 posts, RR: 1 Posted (1 year 10 months 1 day 3 hours ago) and read 1828 times:
There are so many gas fireplaces these days. When I lived in a place that had no fireplace, I was always jealous at the supermarket or corner store, watching people buy those Duraflame logs in the winter time.
Well hey...the Duraflame people have been in business for awhile, do they make a firelog I can burn in a gas fireplace - or is it safe to even burn their regular ones in there? When the Minneapolis winter sets in, I want a cozy, wintry, cackly, the-fireplace-is-cackling-and-not-just-because-of-natural-gassy feeling.
Maverick623 From United States of America, joined Nov 2006, 3807 posts, RR: 4 Reply 1, posted (1 year 10 months 1 day 2 hours ago) and read 1808 times:
It should be safe. A fire is a fire, although I think Natural Gas burns hotter. Also, there's the issue of embers and ash cleanup that you'd need to take care of if the fireplace is narrow.
UAL747 From , joined Dec 1969, posts, RR: Reply 2, posted (1 year 10 months 1 day 2 hours ago) and read 1806 times:
I've always had and grown up with a gas fireplace, and we just threw regular wood into it. You don't need a starter log since you have the gas keeping the flame going.
What's the point of a fireplace if you don't get that nice and cozy fire smell?
Yes, a gas fireplace is perfectly safe to burn normal wood in. And you don't have to buy those Duraflame logs, just load in your wood and light the gas for five or so minutes and then turn it off and tend to your nice wood burning fireplace.
Of course the problem nowadays is that it is not a "sealed" or "efficient" fireplace like the ones that a designed for wood are nowadays. But then those fireplaces can't use a Duraflame log anyways....
But seriously, the gas fireplace is just fine to burn normal wood in, just remember you will have to periodically clean out all the ash from the burned logs (which is why gas fires are so nice) so don't have the fake ash and stuff in there and be a bit careful of the gas feed when cleaning.
Tugg
everything I have learned I have learned by mistake
Quoting UAL747 (Reply 2): I've always had and grown up with a gas fireplace, and we just threw regular wood into it.
Quoting Tugger (Reply 3):
Yes, a gas fireplace is perfectly safe to burn normal wood in.
HOLD YOUR FREAKING HORSES!!!!
This may be stating the obvious but there are MANY types of fireplaces and the majority of gas ones I've used are NOT meant for wood.
Have you guys ever read a gas fireplace manual? Most of the ones I've read clearly state to NOT use wood. EVER. For a variety of reasons.
Many gas fireplaces do not vent to the outside. So next thing you know is you have a bunch of smoke clouding up inside your house. This is obviously not in your best interests. Also, many are not meant to handle ashes or any debris of any type inside. You could ruin the gas manifold by clogging it up or warping it due to the weight of the log burning over time.
Generally, if you have to tear apart the fireplace (remove latches, metal grills, glass pane, etc) to put in some wood then they are definitely NOT meant for wood. However, if they're of the type built like a traditional fireplace (not one of those commercial plug-in-the-wall types) that are otherwise a normal fireplace with a gas burner, then yes, you can use wood too.
Tugger From United States of America, joined Apr 2006, 3556 posts, RR: 4 Reply 5, posted (1 year 10 months 1 day 1 hour ago) and read 1770 times:
Quoting Fly2HMO (Reply 4): HOLD YOUR FREAKING HORSES!!!!
Ahh, I understand. For me, when I think of a gas fireplace I think only of mine which is the only kind I have seen for a gas fireplace. And my gas fireplace is very much a standard built-into-the-house brick fireplace with a normal chimney and damper, etc. I have not seen or used other types and I must admit, if it did not look like the type of fireplace I am familiar with I would not build a wood fire in it.
So point taken. My comments only relate to what is otherwise a completely standard fireplace but with a gas line and tube installed just under the firewood rack.
Tugg
everything I have learned I have learned by mistake
Quoting Fly2HMO (Reply 4): Many gas fireplaces do not vent to the outside.
Technically those are unvented gas heaters (albeit with a fireplace-like appearance), and they're not a good idea in general, mainly because of the odorless, colorless, and highly poisonous carbon monoxide they can put out.
Quoting Tugger (Reply 5): My comments only relate to what is otherwise a completely standard fireplace but with a gas line and tube installed just under the firewood rack.
I'm guessing by your location that the fireplace in question is one designed to burn wood and not coal? Coal-burning fireplaces tend to be much narrower and shallower than ones designed to burn wood, so they can usually only safely handle one DuraFlame-sized log at a time.
Able to kill active threads stone dead with a single post!
Airstud From United States of America, joined Nov 2000, 1472 posts, RR: 1 Reply 7, posted (1 year 10 months 1 day ago) and read 1745 times:
I'm talking about the kind of gas fireplace one might find in the Louisiana Oaks apartments in St. Louis Park, Minnesota (juuuuuust west of Minneapolisness).
Look for a model/made somewhere at the bottom of the fireplace (where you adjust the gas). Google it and find a manual so you can get an educated answer from the manufacturer.
I'll take 100 litres a side AVGAS with Prist - C172 pilot
NoWorries From United States of America, joined Oct 2006, 498 posts, RR: 1 Reply 10, posted (1 year 10 months 18 hours ago) and read 1649 times:
Another safety consideration is creosote buildup in the chimney. Depending on the type of wood and temperature of combustion, you can get creosote buildup in the chimney -- potentially very flammable. Gas burners don't have this problem so the chimney normally requires no cleaning -- but regular wood-burning also implies regular cleaning (depending on just how much and type of wood is burned).
falstaff From United States of America, joined Jun 2006, 5177 posts, RR: 33 Reply 11, posted (1 year 10 months 18 hours ago) and read 1646 times:
My parents had a regular fireplace that they converted to a gas fireplace back in the 1990s. It was a regular fireplace with a gas line run to it. It had fake logs and embers and a plastic know attached to a regulator to vary the flame. You could have easily turned it back into a regular fire place because the chimney was never modified, but you would have had to remove fake logs and embers. I would also imagine that he plastic knob and gas regulator would be damaged by the heat of a traditional fire.
The other type of gas fireplace I have seen are the type with a gas lighter that runs underneath the grate and has a keyed valve off to the side. Once the fire is burning you shut of the gas. That type uses regular logs. A buddy of mine had that kind and he would have to clean out the gas jets every now and then because they would clog up with ash and soot.
Quoting Fly2HMO (Reply 4): When in doubt, READ THE MANUAL
I couldn't agree more. You don't want to be that guy that burns down your apartment building and has all the neighbors ready to kill you while you are all standing outside watching your building go up in flames.
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