Gas Vs. Wood Fireplaces – What is Right for you?

If you are thinking about adding a fireplace in your next home remodel or replacing your current fireplace and are deciding what fireplace is right for you and your home here is a list of the pros and cons of each so you can make sure you are chosing what’s best for your home.

Gas Fireplaces

Pros of a gas Fireplace

Cleaning Burning

If your gas fireplace is using either gas or propane, they are relatively clean burning which is better for the environment than other non-wood burning fireplaces.

Simple on/off

A gas fireplace is very easy to use. Typically they’re turned on or off with the flip of a switch, a key, or now even a button. You don’t have to worry about running out of wood, or the difficulty of wood, not burning.

Cons of a gas Fireplace

Ambience

Gas fireplaces don’t give off the same ambience as your typical wood burning fireplace. Before you chose a gas fireplace, make sure you won’t miss the crackling of the wood or the smell of wood burning in your home.

Install a Gas Line

If you don’t already have a gas line installed in your home, then this is something that you will need to do to install a line to fuel the fire. This can require additional time and money to install into your home.

Gas Line Hazards

If your home has a faulty gas line that wasn’t installed properly or has been damaged then a gas leak could put your family in danger. It’s important to have a professional install these lines to make sure they are installed correctly and can

Wood Fireplaces

Pros of a Wood Fireplace

Will Always Work

One of the benefits of a wood burning fireplace is that they will burn no matter what, and you can control that. You don’t need to worry about if the power goes out, any problems with your pilot light, or even fuel levels. All you need is wood, a lighter, and kindle to get your fire going.

Cheap Fuel

All you need to buy is wood for the fire to burn. Wood is typically cheap to buy and easy to get. Always make sure you have enough wood on hand for all the fire you need.

Full Experience

You get all the ambience of a fireplace, the wood crackling, the smell and sound of a fire burning. You can also watch the fire burn from it’s full force all the way down to it’s embers.

Cons of a Wood Fireplace

Smoke & Ash

One of the biggest downfalls is having to deal with the smoke and ash. You will need to clean the ash and make sure the ask doesn’t get built up. You’ll also need to make sure that the smoke has somewhere to go and that your chimney is working properly.

Wood Storage

You will have to have wood on hand to have a fire which means you will have to store it someplace. If you don’t have anyplace to store the wood, then that could pose a problem.

For more information on options of fireplaces or help with deciding what option is best for you, contact us at Driscoll Contracting! You can call us at 781-405-5584 or contact us online.