Fireplaces are a wonderful home feature that many homeowners enjoy regularly. Depending on the convenience and heating need of the homeowners, fireplaces are available with a variety of different fuels. Since a fireplace can be fueled with wood, gas, or electricity, there is an ideal fireplace for every lifestyle and every home. If you’re ready to buy a fireplace for your home, the following pros and cons of wood, gas, and electric fireplaces will help you make the perfect choice.
Aaaah, a classic wood fireplace has ambiance that no other fuel can match. You’ve got the crackling of the fire, the flames interacting with the logs in a natural way – but let’s not get ahead of ourselves. The following are pros and cons of a wood-burning fireplace:
Pros
Unbeatable ambiance, courtesy of crackles, woodsy aromas, and mesmerizing flames.
In the event electricity goes out, your fireplace gives you a source of heat, light, and food-warming abilities.
There are options, as far as type of firewood, which can give a different feel & aroma to the fires burning in your hearth. Hardwoods burn hotter and longer. Softwoods can burn hot quickly but they also go cold quickly, when the flames die out. You can even choose to use a certain type of wood for the aroma.
Cons
Maintaining a wood fire is a lot of work. The fuel, firewood, takes a considerable amount of work to chop, store, haul, and clean up afterwards.
When you carry firewood into your home, insects and other unseen critters may hitch a ride.
Fires should not be left unattended, since many possible things can happen, such as hot embers escaping or logs rolling off the grate.
Traditional masonry fireplaces are generally highly inefficient. (Adding a fireplace insert, however, results in an efficient fireplace.)
If the damper doesn’t create an adequate seal when you close it, drafts can move through your chimney all year round, causing an increase in utility costs.
With every fire, highly flammable creosote deposits are added inside your chimney lining. Too much creosote buildup greatly increases the chances that there could be a hazardous chimney fire. Fireplace cleaning by a professional chimney sweep is needed at least annually. During heavy winter use, two cleanings per year may be needed.
Homeowners who live at a fast pace have been trending toward gas fireplaces for a number of years and for good reason! Gas fireplaces are incredibly convenient. Research shows that younger adults lean toward gas fireplaces in greater numbers than older adults. Pros and cons of gas fireplaces follow:
Pros
Getting a gas fireplace started couldn’t possibly be any easier, unless you connect the remote control to voice command. Just flip a switch or adjust the thermostat to get the flames going.
Gas fireplaces are excellent supplemental heat sources. Zone heating makes a lot of sense with gas-fueled fireplaces. Simply turn off central heating and turn the gas fireplace on in the room you’re in – flip it off as you leave the area.
Soot and ash are not a part of the equation with a gas fireplace. Maintenance is easy. Scheduling a yearly inspection is important, and that’s about the extent of maintenance.
No electricity is needed to run a gas fireplace. You’re all set to stay warm and have a source of light in a blackout.
The many styles of gas fireplaces are nothing short of amazing!
Gas fireplace styles are incredibly versatile. You can have a fireplace in your wall, between two rooms, positioned like a framed picture, and much more.
Cons
Installation of a gas fireplace can be expensive, depending on whether or not there is already a gas line in your home.
Ceramic logs are far more realistic than when they were first made available, and fire glass is beautiful. The full ambiance that only a wood fire can create may still be sorely missed, however.
Anyone who is really yearning for a fireplace effect can have it instantly with an electric fireplace. Pros and cons of electric fireplaces follow:
Pros
· The least expensive type of fireplace is an electric fireplace.
· Installation is a snap – simply plug it in!
· Electric fireplaces are completely portable.
· In cozy spaces where other types of fireplaces wouldn’t fit, an electric fireplace is usually fine.
Cons
· The faux fires won’t fool anybody.
· When the electricity goes out, so does the fireplace.
· The fuel cost can be high, since an electric fireplace is basically a space heater with pizzazz.
· Style options are very limited, though that could change, if demand continues to increase.
If you’re ready to give your home a nice upgrade with a fireplace, contact us at FyrePro today. Our experts will help you make the right choice for your needs and style preferences. Call 970-266-8556.