wwyd? Fireplace shopping/gas?

[Minelson]

We went to town yesterday to shop for a wood burning stove. What it comes down to is I want a fireplace for theses cold winters here. Plus something that can heat the house if the power goes out. We heat with propane here. What we found out was how expensive it is to put in a chimney! Since we already have propane coming into the house the guy we were talking with suggested going with a gas fireplace as an option. He also has a slightly damaged (doesn't affect the integrity), ceramic, and very high BTU gas fireplace available that he will sell us for huge discount. It has a battery pack that will automatically go on to keep the fire lit if the power goes out. It has those fake logs and flames.
I love a real fire...but reality is we are not getting younger and adding the task of cutting wood to our already too long list of things to do, doesn't sound too smart. Along with the expense of adding a chimney it has us thinking maybe we should go this route. We have lived in house that had a gas fireplace before...the convenience and no clean up was nice.
I don't know. I'm very nervous about hubby having time and gumption to cut and stack all the wood needed for a wood fireplace....even though it would save on our propane cost you have to take into consideration the time, stress on body, chainsaws and tools needed to cut and haul wood. I hate to admit it, but maybe a gas fireplace would be better us. Thoughts?

[Harry Chickpea]

Take you annual heating costs, double it to allow for inflation and repairs, and multiply that by seven (seven years is a standard depreciation time).

Example:
$500 per year x 2 = $1000; $1,000 x 7 = $7,000

If you were to go ENTIRELY with wood heat, figure the cost of the stove, the cost of the chimney, the cost of the chainsaw, the cost of the splitter, the cost of the gasoline and oil, and add that all together.

Example:
Stove $1000 + chimney $2000 + chainsaw $500 + splitter $1000 + gas and oil for seven years $500 = $5,000 Now check your insurance to see if there will be an additional charge, and estimate the labor value.

With this example, you'll MAYBE break even over that period IF you use wood all the time.

Wood is work. You have to be extremely careful when felling trees and working with chainsaws. If you have ANY questions as to your ability to do the work and do it safely, DON'T. It is not a pastime.

[Yvonne's hubby]

We use gas log fireplace in our living room, and a cute little gas parlor stove in our bedroom... and I love love love not having to deal with the wood smoke, the wood chips, the ash mess and all the work involved in cutting busting hauling and stacking of firewood. No more worries about flue fires, and my insurance company loves it too.

[sisterpine]

Harry you did a real good job of explaining the process. I was trying to figure out a clear way to do it and was having no luck, so thanks a bunch! sisterpine

[littlebitfarm]

A "real" fireplace is not energy efficient. A ventless propane fireplace for occasional use is 100% efficient and no chimney needed. You wouldn't want to use it all the time, as it does release moisture and some particles.

I heated with wood for 19 years. Lots of work and some mess in the house. It got to be too much. Same time of year that I am lugging in wood and hauling ash out, I was also moving bales of hay around for 15 horses and keeping the manure pile beat back. It was more than I wanted to do (on top of my "real" job and all the other work it takes to keep a household of 1 going).

I took out the wood stove and put in a propane stove that looks like a wood stove. It can keep the whole place above freezing if need be. So much easier!! I don't regret it one bit!

Kathie

[Ray]

If a chimney is cost prohibitive, consider a ventless fireplace like you said. I bought one for emergency heat, and love it. Use it alot more than I thought I would. I have a den in an old 2 car garage that I converted. It is far away from the furnace and is slightly colder in winter so the ventless fireplace is sweet early in the morn. when it is really cold. It takes the chill off and is great. I could cook on it if needed, use it automatically with battery thermostat and remote sensors. It was priced at $1400, but I got a clearance deal, for $450, great buy great to have for anytime its cool. without feeding the furnace.

[Ravenlost]

Hubby and I will never EVER give up our woodburning fireplace. We also heat with propane and when the power goes out...no heat.

Last year propane prices were outrageous so we decided to see how little propane we could get by on. Hubby had not cut enough firewood (due to his having shoulder surgery earlier in the year) so we ended up buying a couple cords. Firewood is a WHOLE lot cheaper than propane!

I'm always hearing how a wood burning fireplace is not energy efficient, but let me tell you...it kept our downstairs warm! We kept the central propane heat set on 62 and kept a small fire in the fireplace and we did just fine. Other folks complained that our house was cold, but we think their houses are to hot!

When we built our house the builder tried his best to talk us into a gas fireplace. I am SO very grateful we stood our ground. There's nothing like the smell, sound and feel of a real fire burning in the fireplace.

BTW...hubby is 53 and has muscular distrophy. I'm almost 52 and have multiple health issues. Should we reach the point that we can't cut our own wood we will hire someone to do it for us and still come out ahead! We just had a huge old Elm cut down and sawed up for $300. It died two years ago and will give us plenty of firewood for the winter. That same $300 in propane wouldn't get us through one cold month.

[meanwhile]

I had those gas logs in another house and hated them. I thought a smell came from them and they also did not put out enough heat to heat up one room.

Up here we have two old wood stoves. I would not put either of them inside the main part of my house since they both are not air tight but one is in the basement and it heats up the whole under the house. The 2nd is on an enclosed porch and it heats that area enough to heat the front part of house.

Last year the propane costs were so bad we shut off the heat early. The firewood and stoves kept us warm and the wood was free off our property!

I see your point about getting older and thinking ahead and gas logs might be a good option but get more information since I am not sure they really would heat enough if the power went out.

Good luck.

[littlebitfarm]

Originally Posted by Ravenlost

That same $300 in propane wouldn't get us through one cold month.

$300 is half of my annual propane bill. For $600 a year I am as warm as I want to be, plus hot water and cooking.

Kathie

[seedspreader]

Can I ask WHY the "chimney" is cost prohibitive?

How much did they tell you it is?

You don't need a mortar chimney.

I buy my wood, cut to stove size for $50.00 a full 4x4x8 cord. If I bought it at 3 times that I still couldn't heat this house for less.

I DO own a chainsaw, but don't need it for my firewood.

A through the wall thimble kit and triple wall or engineered pipe will probably cost you around $1000.00 or less and take a day to install.

Good efficient stoves that are used stoves can be had used for $700.00 or less.

The biggest question you have to ask, is what source of wood do you have and what it will cost to get it.

I guarantee that I can't keep my house as warm as it feels with wood for less, and that's ALL things considered.

Your mileage may vary.

MY point, don't take anyone's word about what they've done because their area and yours is probably different and so are other factors.

Wood IS work, you have to carry it in, stack it, etc. but it's OUR most economical way to heat the house.

[Backfourty,MI.]

It cost's us way too much to heat our home with propane, it is a new home with really good insulation & still was costing us 300.00 & 400.00 a month during winter to heat our home.
We did alot of research & also didn't want to put up a chimney for a wood stove so we went with a pellet stove. It is vented right out the side of our house. We bought it in Feb. 2007 & figure it has already paid for itself plus some! It burns wood pellets(which that's what we burn) but it also will burn corn, sunflower seeds & wheat.
This year we finally had our 500 pound propane tank taken out, which hasn't been filled since we bought the pellet stove. We had been using the same gas ever since for stove, dryer & furnace when needed or when cleaning the stove, plus I try to run the furnace one day a month just to keep things working.
We had 2 100 pound propane tanks brought in that will last us well over a year. It will take us about 3 tons of wood pellets to get through the winter which are already ordered.

[Ross]

The ornimental fireplaces are at best 75% efficient. The cast a yellow flame for visual effect but that is a poor flame for efficiency. That said I think you're considerign the right factors but I personally wouldn't have anything but wood heat. I have a wood stove and love it, plus the outdoor boiler

[Minelson]

We pay $1200 a year for propane. Heat and hot water heater. Never thought of pellets Katie..thanks for the idea

[Minelson]

Thanks to all for their input.. I'm goin to get the model number (so I can investigate) from the guy tomorrow and set up an appointment for free estimate for installation.

[alpacamom]

We have been looking at going with a wood stove or one of those outdoor wood furnaces for heat because propane has been so expensive. We have a gas fireplace in our fireplace room that is vented out the wall right behind it as the main source of heat for that room. The rest of the house has baseboard hot water heat, but the fireplace room was added about 15 years ago. We rarely use it because it keeps this part of the house too warm so the thermostat never kicks in and the rest of the house is ice cold. We must be doing something wrong with our heating because of how much we spend on propane a year.

[Old Vet]

I have propane and wood heat. I now spend about $150 dollars on Propane. I started out with a fire place then removed that and converted to a wood stove. The one that I had first was one of the cast iron it was better than a fireplace but now I have a Air tight one and it will run you outside during 0 degrees.

[Jo]

I have a Vermont Castings fake looking wood stove with stove pipe vented outside. Its propane and we love it. We have a 820 sq ft house. It's our only heat, just a few times have we had to turn an electric heater on in the bedroom if my husband is watching T V in there.
Yes propane is not cheap but I think everything else cost more......we get our propane in the summer when its cheaper and only have to get 100 more gallons later to last till late spring. We can be cold till June. Most propane companies have a monthly pay plan.
Have fun shopping!

[wogglebug]

You've got to think about what you can do, and what your likely scenarios are.

Wood is work - no question. Even if you buy it, it still takes work. Break a leg, kiddo, then decide what you think about it. If you're physically impaired, or you might get physically impaired, you need to take that into account.

Regardless, never have an open fireplace if you can have a heating stove. Open fireplaces are woefully inefficient - the hot air goes straight up the chimney - the only heat you get is radiated, close to the fire. As others said, get a chimney pipe if you burn wood - even if you stuff it straight up an existing chimney.

Every situation is different, and you have to make your own decisions. My health is at best a bit dubious. I've just dispensed with a wood cook stove that also produced hot water. I've got a propane instantaneous water heater, and a propane stove. I've retained a wood heater, but I'm not using it - it's just in reserve. I'm using electric heaters, which are the same cost to run as a propane heater would be, but much cheaper to buy and more convenient to use. I also make sure to wear warm clothes indoors. During winter, my house is NOT a shirtsleeve environment.

[stamphappy]

Feed my ignorance on natural gas fireplaces please. Several said that when the power goes out, the fireplace doesn't work.

We have a natural gas fireplace, hooked up to city gas. When the power goes out, the fireplace still works, it's how we stay warm. We close up the rest of the house and camp out in the family room.

Do other areas set up their natural gas differently?

I think it'd be nice to have both in the house actually. Natural gas for most of the time and woodstove for emergencies such as when the SHTF.

[rambler]

I assume we are atalking about a fireplace insert, or enclosed stove here.

The more open designs can make your heating bill go up, as they allow heated air to go up the chimney all the time, costing you more fuel heating rather than less!

Be sure you get something that provides heat and does not leak out indoor heat all the time, don't get an ornemental, 'pretty' thing that doesn't produce heat when needed, and loses heat when not needed.

--->Paul