General Questions Relating to Fireplace's

We have compiled several pages of frequently asked questions about fireplace safety, maintenance and cleaning.

Can you tell me the difference between gas logs and an insert?
Gas log sets are created to simulate the look of real burning logs, but are hooked up to a gas line. Inserts are placed into an existing wood-burning fireplace to increase its beauty and efficiency.

Can you tell me more about inserts?
Whether you have a masonry or factory built fireplace, an insert is created to enhance both its beauty and efficiency. Fireplace inserts are installed directly into a wood burning fireplace, but can use a variety of different fuels including natural gas, propane, pellets, and coal. The fireplace insert will have glass doors which are self cleaning, allowing you to see the beauty of the dancing flames while at the same time dramatically increasing the efficiency of the unit. These inserts are usually constructed out of either steel or cast iron. Depending on the type of fuel used by the unit, many manufacturers also offer the option of fans or thermostatic controls to optimize the unit.

Can you tell me the difference between a fireplace and an insert?
You put an insert into a fireplace that is either factory built or masonry. There are two many types of fireplaces: factory built (zero clearance) which can burn either gas or wood and masonry (not zero clearance).

What do you mean by the term zero clearance?
This type of unit has been constructed in a factory in such a way that it is safe to place it near combustible material such as carpets and furniture.

What is the difference between propane and natural gas?
Propane gas is stored in a tank outside your home, while natural gas comes to your home through a pipeline maintained by a local gas company. Natural gas is much lighting than propane gas, and will require more than twice as much gas in order to create a BTU rating similar to propane. Natural gas contains 1,000 BTU per cubic foot, while propane contains 2,500 BTU per cubic foot.

I have heard that there are two kinds of gas logs. Can you tell me more?
Vented and vent free are the two types of gas logs. For each of these there are three different types of materials that can be used to create the logs: molded refractory cement, extruded ceramic clay and molded ceramic fibers. There is traditionally a grate and burner system included in a gas log set. If you have a vented system it is best to use cement logs. While extruded logs offer you a low price, they usually are not very attractive. You best bet for a vent-free fireplace is to use molded ceramic logs which are the most realistic looking logs.

 

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