There is nothing quite as romantic as an evening spent in front of a wood-burning fireplace, but boy do I hate the maintenance that goes with it. I’m Lou Manfredini, Ace’s “Helpful Hardware Man” and I’m here to talk to you about another way to use your fireplace, with gas logs.
The upkeep of wood-burning fireplaces is intense and can dissuade you from using your fireplace all together. Plus, you run the risk of encountering issues with drafting which can make your whole house smoky. With gas logs, there is none of this to worry about.
Gas logs can be installed very quickly and look quite realistic. And the upkeep is so much simpler! No more cleaning out the debris after every fire or lugging in chopped wood on cold days. Now, you’ll still have to have your chimney cleaned every 3-4 years, but that’s much less than the annual cleaning that I recommend for wood-burning fireplaces. You also might have to look at having a gas line moved, which would increase your cost to install. But in my opinion, it is absolutely worth it. Another bonus, gas logs turn on with the flick of a switch, or in some models, the click of a remote control. Talk about instant romance!
Installing your own Gas Logs
Before installing your own gas logs, there are many things you must be aware of. It is not something you can just dive into with knowing and reading directions. Gas logs are a replica of real logs built into a fireplace to make a nice fire without the hassle of getting your own wood and sparking your own fire. It is nearly impossible to tell the difference between gas logs and real logs burning in your fire place. Gas logs are designed so that people will not notice the difference in burning gas logs and actual logs in your fireplace. Real fires in your home are really nice and relaxing, but there are many factors that make a gas fireplace more convenient. With gas logs, you can adjust the amount of gas to be released which will in turn produce more or less fire. These like-real gas logs will save you the work of cutting your own wood each time you want to start a fire. Also, it will keep you from having to worry about keeping your fire going. It is a constant burn going at all times when you use gas logs. So after a long day, you can kick back and relax in front of the fire and not worry about all the hassle.
When installing your own gas logs, there are many things you must be aware of. First, you must have your chimney swept by a certified chimney sweep company. Afterward, you will need to make sure you get the right size gas logs to suit your fireplace. You do not want to get logs that are too big because then the smoke will vent out into the room which carries poisonous gases in it. Installing gas logs on your own can be very dangerous if you don’t know what you are doing. There are many directions you must follow to hook everything up the right way. In the end you must make sure you are doing everything correctly because you do not want to put your self or other household members in danger due to harmful fumes that may be coming into your home. If you are not aware of how to install gas logs, it is definitely best that you do research and make yourself knowledgeable of this topic before you start to do it.
