propane gas logs of central heat

[countrygurl]

we have 2 central heating units (propane) 1 for the bedrooms (rightside of the house) and 1 for the family, kitchen & dining room (leftside of house) propane is eating us alive. we dont use the unit for the bedrooms each room has an electric heater for night time, would gas logs be more cost effecinent than running the central unit for the family room & kitchen.

[Cabin Fever]

I thought you lived in southern Mississippi? I didn't even know that you had to heat your homes down there. I thought that your AC ran 24/7.

[texican]

CF, I tell ya, it is a crying shame, living in the south, and having free heat (natural gas) and it rarely be cool enough to actually need it!

[countrygurl]

we had almost 2 inches of snow that in the beginning of Jan. The snowman last 3 days we get cold snaps night time temps can get to the upper 20's. by al means we dont get the cold periods like the mid west & north but it does get cold! we can be in the 70' on afternoon and 40's the next day

[countrygurl]

free heat, where?

[Jena]

Gas logs are meant to be aesethic only. They are for looks, not heating.

Jena

[Forty Acres]

I will say up front that I don't know the answer to your question.

However, I have central heat & air. And a few years back, I bought a propane gas-log stove (glass front). A lot of people mistake it for a woodstove.

What I have found is that it allows me to keep the central heat thermostat at a lower setting and still remain comfortable. Occasionally I will back up to the stove and warm up.

It does put out quite a bit of heat, and keeps the living room nice and toasty. Bedrooms stay cooler & I like that.

I think that it saves energy.............but I don't know for sure. The savings may be due to the rest of the house staying cooler.

[artificer]

If the central heating system has been installed properly, you can shut the dampers to the dining room. Then you only heating the kitchen and family room.

Do the gas logs get vented, or are they the ventless type? How old is your furnace(s)? What efficiency?

If you have the gas logs that sit in the fireplace, and you open the damper when in use, then I would say its much less efficient than the furnace, unless the furnace is more than 10 years old. All that heat is going up the chimney.

If the gas logs are the ventless type, then they are almost 100% efficient. the downside is that they aren't intended as the main source of heat. All of the water vapor from combustion is going to be inside of the house. Not bad in a dry climate, but it can cause problems. If your furnace is one of the 90%+ type, then you aren't gaining that much with a ventless gas log, and its safer to use. I would get a CO2/CO/fire alarm and put it in the same room as the gas logs, if you go that route.

Where are the central heat ducts located? Are they insulated? If they are in an unheated basement, make sure that they have insulation around them. Low cost, and it save quit a bit of fuel/money.

The short answer is that unless you change your heating fuel type, the method of burning it isn't going to make a big difference. This is assuming that the furnace is one of the high efficiency types. If its one of the old 65% types, then all bets are off. It would pay to replace it.

Michael

[Sand Flat Bob]

Originally Posted by countrygurl

we have 2 central heating units (propane) 1 for the bedrooms (rightside of the house) and 1 for the family, kitchen & dining room (leftside of house) propane is eating us alive. we dont use the unit for the bedrooms each room has an electric heater for night time, would gas logs be more cost effecinent than running the central unit for the family room & kitchen.

No one likes the cost of Propane. Suggestion, here our electric utility will run a free energy audit of your house and make suggestions on improvement and what the cost would be, and how short the pay off will be on energy savings. Of Course I use both heat pumps and propane. I have spent many dollars on insulation, windows, etc. over the past 15 years. Now I can heat the house using very little energy. Some of the energy saving items, cost very little to do, such as caulking, plastic temp. storm windows. At the price of propane, you can do a lot for what you save in propane use. I would concentrate on how to cut energy use so my existing heating system would be ok.

Just my thoughts,

Bob

[Karenrbw]

We had gas logs in our last house. We found the living room was roasting and the rest of the house was freezing. There just wasn't a way for us to circulate the heat well. Our logs also didn't have a fan, which meant that is was 90 degrees in front of the logs and much cooler just 15 feet away. My judgement is that the gas logs would be quite inefficient in heating your home.

[Jolly]

I have a good friend who heats his house with a fireplace and ventless gas logs.

It's cheaper his electric central heat, but not as cheap as if he had a wood insert and cut his wood. But it works great as a area heat source.

It works well, with the biggest drawback being A) moisture and B)they don't run it at night, even though they have carbon monoxide detectors.

[GrannyG]

We have a big fireplace insert and decided to put in gas logs...what a losing thing that was...the logs smoked, put a black residue on the ceiling and walls, no matter how much they were adjusted...finally pulled them out and just bought a butane heater and put it in front of the fireplace.

[Silvercreek Farmer]

If they are unvented, they are surely more efficient provided they have a thermostat and you don't let the house get up to 80. If they are vented, it is hard to say. Insulation and weather stripping may help out considerably as well.

[Cabin Fever]

Those gas logs can be expensive. Even tho you live down south, you'll still probably end up burning two...maybe three cords of them over the course of a year.