Going from propane to wood

PrettyPaisley · #1 10/21/12, 10:16 AM

When we bought this place last fall everyone except me was sooooo excited about having a propane fireplace. I hate it. I don't even want to use it. I am grateful for the propane connection because there are no natural gas lines out here and I love my gas stove but I want a real wood burning fireplace.

How would I go about switching that over? I'm assuming it's not as easy as ripping out the pipes and throwing some logs in the hole in the wall.

Old Vet · #2 10/21/12, 10:59 AM

You must have a flue and a place to burn the wood. It can be done but will be more expensive than building one from scratch. I have seen where they go to propane in a wood burning fireplace but not the other way around.

BamaSuzy · #3 10/21/12, 11:48 AM

Was yours actually ever supposed to be a wood burning fireplace and they just converted it to propane? that's what you need to find out. If it was you need to have your chimney checked to make sure it is still safe to use and then get a QUALIFIED person to unhook the propone.
Also make sure you have a couple of battery-operated smoke detectors!
I burn wood as my primary means of heat and we have, now I do, since about 1980.

jwal10 · #4 10/21/12, 11:51 AM

Was it a wood burning fireplace first? Does it have a real lined flue or is it just a small pipe for a gas appliance? Sometimes people get old, lazy or don't like the dirt of wood and convert. If it is a chimney you could get a wood stove. Have a professional look at the chimney and see.

duckidaho · #5 10/21/12, 01:41 PM

we are hoping to make the same switch. Unfortunately, our house is 120 years old and the real chimney fell down. The propane vent isn't in a real chimney. We are hoping to get a "pre-fab" chimney installed and then a wood stove. Anybody done this? I know it is possible with the right amount of money. I figure it will take us 3-5 years to recoup our initial investment. Propane is expensive and is only going to go up.

davel745 · #6 10/21/12, 01:57 PM

Burning wood is a chore. It needs to be cut and split. Then it needs to be stacked somewhere, It can be just chucked in a pile.

Then the stove needs to be fed 7/24 through the winter.

A good wood burning stove isn't cheap.

The gases can be vented through the use of double wall stainless pipes. and through the floor connections. A 3 foot section costs about 100 dollars. But it is the only thing safe to use in a house up through the floors.

Then there is the humidity or lack there of with wood burning I use a 3 inch steam table tray filled with water, on top of the stove to help with the humidity.

Then there is the learning it takes to use the wood stove correctly.

And lastly there is the maintenance (removing creosote from the pipes).

However I still love burning wood (at 67) Now I better get to cutting as I don’t have my wood in yet for the winter.

FarmboyBill · #7 10/21/12, 02:42 PM

I HATE cutting wood, but Ive got a tree in the driveway now waiting to end up as firewood. I gotta reset the buzz saw as I had pulled it up thinking id get moved before now. Then Ive got to resharpen the buzz saw blade. I CANT wait till I can run on propane, BUT I have a nasty suspicion ill never be able to afford to heat other than the bathroom and maybe a closet with it. Guess I could sleep in the closet if long enough and put a microwave and small refrig in the bathroom all through winter LOL.

frankva · #8 10/21/12, 06:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by PrettyPaisley

When we bought this place last fall everyone except me was sooooo excited about having a propane fireplace. I hate it. I don't even want to use it. I am grateful for the propane connection because there are no natural gas lines out here and I love my gas stove but I want a real wood burning fireplace.

I would like to know why you dislike your propane fireplace. I have a fireplace, that I never use. Have thought about putting a gas log in there.

bergere · #9 10/21/12, 07:27 PM

We bought this place and it has a Ventless Propane Fireplace... and they sink! Even when I had a safety check done... that is just the way they are. Previous owners of this place smoked, so I doubt they smelled it.
And propane is very spendy here.
Am looking to sell the whole set up.

To go to a wood Stove here... decided on a Jotul Oslo..
I need a hearth for underneath and the wall, then run triple pipe (forgot what they called it) straight up through the roof.
If we have the Hearth place put it all in.... would be about $4700...

Would be less if I have the contractor across the road put it in.

Over half our property is Oak and hardwoods... so would be cheap for us to heat the house.

cmtigger · #10 10/21/12, 07:43 PM

Call around the fireplace/stove places in your area. I had the leaky propane insert that was in my house when I bought it pulled out and replaced with a used, but good condition wood insert. I have a propane wall heater for when I just don't have time, or feel well enough, to deal with feeding the insert.

They had to pull off and cap the propane, then run a new liner up the chimney when they put the wood insert in. It really does heat the house better than my wall heater, and they both have blowers.

PrettyPaisley · #11 10/21/12, 08:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by frankva

I would like to know why you dislike your propane fireplace. I have a fireplace, that I never use. Have thought about putting a gas log in there.

It has gas logs. I want to listen to the real wood pop and I want to smell real wood. And I want my old wood fireplace insert like we had at the old house.

I want to clean out ashes and soot and I want to know I can heat the house and cook when the SHTF!

The house has always had propane/gas logs. The previous owner would have never cut wood.

Alice In TX/MO · #12 10/21/12, 08:45 PM

1. Shop for wood burning stove.
http://vermontcastings.com/products/.../Wood-Burning/

2. Order the one you like, plus the flue, etc.

3. Take out the propane carp... ur.... stove.

4. Install a REAL wood burner.

5. Enjoy.

davel745 · #13 10/22/12, 04:42 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bergere

We bought this place and it has a Ventless Propane Fireplace... and they sink! Even when I had a safety check done... that is just the way they are. Previous owners of this place smoked, so I doubt they smelled it.
And propane is very spendy here.
Am looking to sell the whole set up.

To go to a wood Stove here... decided on a Jotul Oslo..
I need a hearth for underneath and the wall, then run triple pipe (forgot what they called it) straight up through the roof.
If we have the Hearth place put it all in.... would be about $4700...

Would be less if I have the contractor across the road put it in.

Over half our property is Oak and hardwoods... so would be cheap for us to heat the house.

I too have a Jotul the top loader one. It works well and holds a fire for a long time. I don’t use the top loader part as it is just as easy to add the wood through the door, and the water pan is on top.

I like my Jotul stove. I too have quite a few acres of Red Oak.

I spend about 100 a year to get my wood.

rambler · #14 10/22/12, 12:29 PM

Chimney for wood use will cost more than the actual fireplace. Gas chimney is light tin, wood chimney need to be robust to stand the soot and heat and so forth.

A simple wood fireplace is not at all efficient - terrible, actually.

Basically you want a wood stove that will look like a fireplace. They draw in outside air so your room air doesn't go up the chimney, and have some way of circulating the heat from the fire into your room, not sust dumping all that heat up the chimney as most simple fireplaces do.

None of this is cheap or simple, but I do understand the appeal of a cool real fire and being able to build a fire form the back lot.

Just understand it will cost money to dfo it right. You can't 'get by' on the chimney. And if you'get by' with a cheap sort of fireplace you will break your back hauling in wood and not get any heat out of it.

--->Paul

PrettyPaisley · #15 10/22/12, 12:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rambler

Chimney for wood use will cost more than the actual fireplace. Gas chimney is light tin, wood chimney need to be robust to stand the soot and heat and so forth.

A simple wood fireplace is not at all efficient - terrible, actually.

Basically you want a wood stove that will look like a fireplace. They draw in outside air so your room air doesn't go up the chimney, and have some way of circulating the heat from the fire into your room, not sust dumping all that heat up the chimney as most simple fireplaces do.

None of this is cheap or simple, but I do understand the appeal of a cool real fire and being able to build a fire form the back lot.

Just understand it will cost money to dfo it right. You can't 'get by' on the chimney. And if you'get by' with a cheap sort of fireplace you will break your back hauling in wood and not get any heat out of it.

--->Paul

Guess maybe it will have to be the project to complete when all the others are done and I have some free time and extra money lying around then.

Thanks!

rambler · #16 10/22/12, 12:35 PM

Thren again a frien of ine built his own cabin, and built his own fireplace from local rock, and used the mass storage design - you put a lot of wood through it and it heats up all the rock and concrete and sends the heat into the house over time - and he gets along fine with it, Probably didn't cost a whole lot, but do a _lot_ of research on how the smoke needs to go, etc.

So there are different ways to do it, just don't know if you want to d the design and become a mason to do such a project.

--->Paul