# Wood burning fireplace or gas logs?



## TJay (Feb 26, 2017)

We are building a house in the near future and the wife is lobbying hard for gas logs as opposed to a real wood burning fireplace.  We've always had a real wood burner but they are a chore and I'm not getting any younger.  And then if one goes with gas logs do you go with vented or ventless?


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## lagrangedave (Feb 26, 2017)

Converted mine to ventless from logs. We love it.


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## 3ringer (Feb 26, 2017)

We have gas logs. They even have a remote control that you can turn on the logs without getting up. But if I had a choice, I would go with a real fire. Nothing like the smell, snap crackle and pop of a real fire.


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## blood on the ground (Feb 26, 2017)

I've had both. Ventless gas logs are a great source of heat. I could heat up my house nice and toasty in less than 20 min no matter how cold it was. Having said that, its also an expensive way to heat compared to the cost of wood. 
If the expense of LP or Natural gas isn't a concern ... I'd go with gas logs.


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## Possum (Feb 26, 2017)

High efficiency wood burner. You'll have dependable heat and will go through much less wood than you did before with a traditional wood burner. 
If wife wins and you go with gas, go with direct vent fireplace, not vent free. Better heat, more realistic fire.


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## Nicodemus (Feb 26, 2017)

I installed ventless gas logs in our fireplace. It is our primary heat and since we like to sleep in a cold house at night it is only on when we are up. Our electric heat unit is 23 years old and has less than two hours run time on for all those years. We just don`t use it. Our heating bill for propane in the coldest winter is less than $75 for the entire season. If need be I can also convert the fireplace back to wood.

When you design your home, make sure to have two independent heat sources, one that doesn`t depend on electricity.


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## tree cutter 08 (Feb 26, 2017)

Wood fireplace ain't much good. To much heat goes up the chimney. I would either use gas logs or a wood stove.


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## TJay (Feb 26, 2017)

I've burned wood since the 80's so maybe it's time for a change.  Thanks for all the replies guys!


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## lagrangedave (Feb 26, 2017)

A ventfree is ventfree because it burns about 98% of the fuel. The other 2% is H2O. It will be the most efficient you can get.


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## TJay (Feb 26, 2017)

lagrangedave said:


> A ventfree is ventfree because it burns about 98% of the fuel. The other 2% is H2O. It will be the most efficient you can get.



Dave is there much of a smell from the ventfree?


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## Nicodemus (Feb 26, 2017)

TJay said:


> Dave is there much of a smell from the ventfree?




No smell at all from mine. And it doesn`t take long to heat the den up either.


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## lagrangedave (Feb 26, 2017)

No smell for mine either.


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## Stroker (Feb 26, 2017)

We didn't have a fireplace but had a free standing Buck wood burner. We replace it with a freestanding antique looking vent less propane stove. Constant and steady heat. No mess with ashes or bringing in wood. I don't have to worry about having to cut and stock pile fire wood, just flip a switch and kick back. I do miss the crackle and pop of a real fire though. If I desire a real fire I just fire up the fire pit and sit back with a cold one.


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## Twiggbuster (Feb 26, 2017)

Enjoy my wood fireplace. Crackle, pop, aroma.
Lot of work but worth it to me.
Every fire is different. Enjoy watching it come to life.


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## greg_n_clayton (Feb 26, 2017)

I maybe wrong, but I always looked at a fireplace being for looks. Or maybe to heat one room instead of the whole house. I may have to look at gas soon if this health don't stop getting worse. Very informative info here about gas !! Thanks for the OP.


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## Possum (Feb 26, 2017)

I got news for you vent free gas log fans, they are not supposed to be primary heat! It is very bad for your health. If you have vent free logs and don't notice the smell it's because your sence of smell is de-sensitized to it. 
But wood smoke can also emit fine particulate and increase the indoor air pollution. 
Vent free logs are lower btu and have an unrealistic flame when compared to vented logs or direct vent. 
The three choices on gas fireplaces are vented (cheap option, more real flame, little to no heat) or vent free (cheapest option, unrealistic flame, strong odor) or direct vent (most expensive, real looking flame, great heat)
Your three choices on wood are, open fireplace (cheap, inefficient)
Wood stove (best heat, reasonable cost) high efficiency fireplace (most expensive, great heat)
People will tell you they like what they have but take it from a person who sells hundred of gas logs, fireplaces and wood stoves a year... people are generally happier with wood and complain more about gas. We convert far more gas fireplaces to wood than wood to gas. Wood is cheaper, more reliable, and produces better heat than gas... period.


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## GA native (Feb 27, 2017)

Split the difference. A wood stove in the basement, and a gas log in the living room. If the power goes out, that wood stove in the basement will heat the whole house easily. My parents have had a vent free gas log in the living room for years. My Dad is too old to spend all winter swinging an ax and go devil. The gas log is enough to heat the living room, just like an open hearth. The rest of the house stays cold though, just like an open hearth.

Go right past the big box store when purchasing your gas log. Find a fireplace store and buy one of their high end units. The junk they sell at the Depot and Lowes, will last about two or three years. Parts are a recreational impossibility to acquire.

The difference between vented and vent free is efficiency. A vented unit sends most of the heat up the flue pipe. The only odor I've noticed with vent free units is when they are new. Once the packing oil is burned off, and the fake logs "cook in," they are odorless. But I may have gone nose blind.


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## K80 (Feb 27, 2017)

I love my Heatmaster Cape Fear Oak ventless gas logs.  No odor, decent flame, good btu output, and looks great.


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## beginnersluck (Feb 27, 2017)

Gas logs to quickly knock off a chill on a cool night...woodburning stove for the cold nights. I'd put the gas logs in my bedroom and wood burning stove in the living/family room.  Make sure to have a blower either way, as I'm sure you already know.  Open wood burning fireplaces...nah, you can have it.


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## Dirtroad Johnson (Feb 28, 2017)

We just purchased a log cabin in the Rabun County mountains that was converted from a wood burning fireplace to gas logs by previous owner; we had it converted back to wood as it is not the primary heat source. Gas logs are nice too, we burn a lot of oak & cherry in a wood burning stove @ camphouse in Wilcox that is the primary heat source that will get the whole place warm & cozy. We'll probably end up putting a wood burning insert in the open fireplace that has clear glass in the front to be able to still see the fire.


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## chobrown (Feb 28, 2017)

We just got done with our house and we went with gas logs. I really wanted a real wood burning fireplace like my parents have until........ I found out how much the cost difference is. I think I have a little over a grand in the gas logs and hearth etc. (did most of the work myself) the real wood burning fire place was estimated at $18,000.


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## chobrown (Feb 28, 2017)

*Fireplace*

Fireplace and hearth


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## Dirtroad Johnson (Feb 28, 2017)

chobrown said:


> Fireplace and hearth



Looks nice, you did a good job.


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