Not every one is up for having a traditional fireplace or even a wood stove in their home. Chopping wood is hard, time consuming, and can hurt, a lot. Plus if you live in an urban or suburban area, where are you going to get wood in the first place? But then you miss out on the warmth and closeness and sense of family and joy that a fire brings to a house and that we all associate with holiday cheer and the joy of a good winter day. If you can’t get access to a source of fire wood, or if you physically can’t or don’t want to deal with the hassle of hauling it, you should definitely consider installing one of a huge variety of gas log sets, to bring that fireplace feel home with none of the trouble.
Gas fireplaces tie directly into your natural gas line and therefore run without electricity, making them a great potential source of heat if the public heat or power goes out. Because there is no wood involved the fireplace never needs cleaning, but with heat resistant imitation logs installed the fireplace looks traditional and gives off the same heat and soft flickering light, with none of the effort that naturally comes with a real fireplace.
Gas fireplaces are also more efficient. They typically have a better (narrower) exhaust system as there is much less smoke to deal with than comes from a wood fire. This means that less hot air is pushed from the house when your fire is running, a major source of energy loss when a family puts in a living room or basement fire. While not as efficient as a wood stove, a gas fireplace is a terrific option for anyone looking to add traditional charm to a modern house, and to make things easy while they do it.
