Comparing Gas and Wood Burning Appliances
With the abrupt arrival of winter and its frigid temperatures, most people have headed indoors in an effort to stay warm. For some, staying warm involves huddling around a fire, its bright flames rippling heat into the room. Few can resist the lure of an indoor fire in the winter time. The radiant heat, shimmering flames, and alluring flicker of light can feel very soothing after a long day, so people flock to fires whenever they have the chance. While most people agree that fireplaces and wood stoves have an inexplicable appeal, they likely have wide ranging opinions on whether the appliance use wood or gas for fuel.
Wood burning fireplaces are what many people envision when thinking about fireplaces. The giant brick hearth is full of freshly split logs, and the fire crackles incessantly, even spitting an occasional ember. Throughout the night, the logs burn down to a pile of hot embers that glow and pulse a soft orange light from the residual heat of the fire. While all of this seems rather appealing, burning wood for fuel comes with some less attractive qualities as well.
For one, burning wood requires gathering or purchasing wood for fuel. In rural areas, homeowners may have the option to gather their own wood, which costs no money but does cost in time and energy expended. In more populated areas, the wood must be purchased from a dealer. Neither of these options promises good wood though. To burn most efficiently, the wood needs to have seasoned, or dried out, for at least one year. Freshly cut wood or wood that has been stored outside is likely too wet to burn safely. In addition, burning wood produces a substance called creosote that builds up in the chimney. If a chimney sweep is not performed annually to remove the creosote, it can cause a hot and dangerous chimney fire. Finally, wood fires produce ash in the fireplace, which needs to be swept or vacuumed out after each fire to prevent it from being blown into the house.
On the other hand is the option to burn natural gas as fuel. For homes with access to natural gas through piping, this fuel is readily available at any time. Gas fuel also burns very efficiently, with up to 99 percent of the fuel used to create fire and heat, while wood burns at a very low efficiency and produce significantly more harmful products. With this type of fuel, no messy wood splitting, creosote buildup, or ash removal becomes an issue. The only downside to gas fuel is that they require ceramic log sets in order to burn, which do not provide the same aesthetic appeal as wood logs burning down to a bed of embers. These logs never change appearance and do not crackle or spark the way wood logs do.
In general, wood burning appliances are becoming more historic and less applicable, despite their visual appeal. Burning gas is healthier, more convenient, and more efficient, so many homeowners are having gas appliances put into their homes, new or existing. If you have questions about wood fuel compared to gas fuel, contact Beach Stove and Fireplace to speak with an expert.