Gas/Wood Burning Fireplace

[arivecchi]

We have two fireplaces that can be used as wood burning or gas fireplaces. Right now they are set up for gas. How do we switch them to wood burning? Should we call someone to inspect them before doing so?

[speo]

Yes!! Have them inspected! We had 2 fireplaces that upon inspection had cracks that led into our walls/attic. They were a major fire hazard. I hope that isn't the case for you because the fixes were very expensive.

[arivecchi]

We bought this house in May and had an inspector come through. No issues were noted regarding the fireplaces. Do I need to have them inspected again? We have used them with gas already.

[squimp]

We have a chimney sweep come clean the chimney when we buy a house with a wood burning fireplace. They will look it over and show you how to make it work also.

[speo]

We bought this house in May and had an inspector come through. No issues were noted regarding the fireplaces. Do I need to have them inspected again? We have used them with gas already.

I would think it would be alright if it was recently inspected. With our fireplace, we just have to put the wood in to have the fire. No real conversion necessary. If we want gas, all we do is stick the gas logs in there and then turn on the gas.

[Kindra178]

I recommend having a chimney sweep come through. The US EPA recommends a chimney sweep clean every year.

Also, although less romantic, a gas burning fireplace is much, much better for indoor air quality. Put another way, wood burning stoves and fireplaces are terrible for your lungs and indoor air quality in general. Burning wood shoots off particulate that can exacerbate existing lung conditions or cause others.

[AnnieW625]

My parents have a gas burning fireplace and they also burn wood in it. I would talk to a chimney sweep as well.

[TwinFoxes]

I recommend having a chimney sweep come through. The US EPA recommends a chimney sweep clean every year.

Also, although less romantic, a gas burning fireplace is much, much better for indoor air quality. Put another way, wood burning stoves and fireplaces are terrible for your lungs and indoor air quality in general. Burning wood shoots off particulate that can exacerbate existing lung conditions or cause others.

:yeahthat: If any of you have lung issues, I wouldn't do wood. But wood fires are very pretty. :)

[crl]

I recommend having a chimney sweep come through. The US EPA recommends a chimney sweep clean every year.

Also, although less romantic, a gas burning fireplace is much, much better for indoor air quality. Put another way, wood burning stoves and fireplaces are terrible for your lungs and indoor air quality in general. Burning wood shoots off particulate that can exacerbate existing lung conditions or cause others.

:yeahthat: Check your written report from your home inspection. Some inspectors specifically say they are not a chimney sweep and you should have the chimney inspected prior to using the fireplace.

Catherine

[arivecchi]

Thanks all. I talked to a contractor we trust last night and he also rec'd having it sweeped and using it in gas mode for safety reasons.

[maestramommy]

yes, i would have them checked and cleaned. And I would check to make sure woodburning is still allowed in your state (no longer the case in CA).

[speo]

And I would check to make sure woodburning is still allowed in your state (no longer the case in CA).

Hmmm. Is this really true? We had to totally tear down one of our fireplaces because it wasn't fixable. We definitely could have had a new one built. My MIL is building a new fireplace in her cabin in SoCal also.

I personally would love for wood fireplaces to be banned or require some way for cleaner emissions. I get asthma whenver any neighbor within a couple streets has a fire.

[maestramommy]

Hmmm. Is this really true? We had to totally tear down one of our fireplaces because it wasn't fixable. We definitely could have had a new one built. My MIL is building a new fireplace in her cabin in SoCal also.

I personally would love for wood fireplaces to be banned or require some way for cleaner emissions. I get asthma whenver any neighbor within a couple streets has a fire.

Well this is what I have heard from friends in CA. Of course it would never fly here as folks depend a great deal on burning bio-fuels to offseat oil and gas costs. Us included.

[Kindra178]

Hmmm. Is this really true? We had to totally tear down one of our fireplaces because it wasn't fixable. We definitely could have had a new one built. My MIL is building a new fireplace in her cabin in SoCal also.

I personally would love for wood fireplaces to be banned or require some way for cleaner emissions. I get asthma whenver any neighbor within a couple streets has a fire.

http://www.raisingcalifornia.net/2008/03/wood-burning-fireplaces-banned-in-socal/

Seems like it is banned on certain days. I, too, wish they were banned everywhere.

Interesting information from EPA about the use of wood burning stoves and fireplaces and heat efficiency:

http://www.epa.gov/burnwise/energyefficiency.html

[TwinFoxes]

Hmmm. Is this really true? We had to totally tear down one of our fireplaces because it wasn't fixable. We definitely could have had a new one built. My MIL is building a new fireplace in her cabin in SoCal also.

I personally would love for wood fireplaces to be banned or require some way for cleaner emissions. I get asthma whenver any neighbor within a couple streets has a fire.

It's only true in certain parts of California, from what I remember. It's not statewide.

ETA: Here's some more info, only certain parts of SoCal are effected: http://articles.latimes.com/2008/mar/08/local/me-fireplace8 I also seem to remember that Palo Alto doesn't allow wood burning fireplaces in new construction, but I'm not positive (it's been a while since I lived in California!)

Sorry for the hijack OP!

[elektra]

I am pretty sure we can burn logs in our fireplace. Ours works for gas but when we wanted to burn real logs we just put them in there and lit them up!
We did have a guy come look at our chimney though after we first moved in, because DH was concerned about some of the bricks needing repair, and he looked at the whole thing at that point.
I am sure that the smart thing to do is to get it checked but you can always just make sure the flue is open and put the log in there and burn it.
We ended up getting fake gas logs and only use gas now. We are able to use the fireplace more that way, less mess, etc. Real logs are so romantic though.

[speo]

Thanks for the info everyone! We aren't in the LA Basin proper so maybe that is why the construction people could still install a new chimney. We ended up totally tearing down one of our fireplaces. I will keeps searching for rules in my area.

Sorry for the hijack OP!

[squimp]

The reason to keep your chimney clean is that you can build up creosote from burning wood and then if it accumulates too much you can have a fire in your chimney, which is not good. It's more likely in a wood stove situation because those can get really hot, but still worth checking into. The gas burns cleaner without the oils and particulates.

Wood is a renewable resource, so it definitely has its place, but I hear you on the air quality issues.

[AnnieW625]

Well this is what I have heard from friends in CA. Of course it would never fly here as folks depend a great deal on burning bio-fuels to offseat oil and gas costs. Us included.

Per my DH (he works for an air quality agency) in areas that usually have "spare the air days" (parts of the Central Valley, the Inland Empire, etc.) they are really limiting actual traditional woodburning fireplaces in new home construction. He says that if you are buying a new home in CA you are most likely to get one of those push button start fake log space heater type fireplaces (can you tell I don't like them:rotflmao:?). If you have an existing structure and you want to put in a traditional fireplace you should still be able to do so.