The image of a wood-burning fireplace quickly comes to mind when thinking of sitting in front of a few blazing logs. Even so, most people prefer gas fireplaces in their own homes. These fireplaces use artificial logs and other techniques to replicate the looks of a wood fire, but they offer many benefits compared to the real thing. Here are some of the reasons they’re so popular:
Cleanliness
Since natural gas burns cleanly, gas fireplaces in St. Paul don’t need nearly as much general cleaning as wood-burning ones. There are no ashes to clean up and there’s no creosote to get up the chimney. Wood-burning fireplaces, on the other hand, generate ash and creosote with each fire. That gets to be aggravating, especially when cleaning the ashes out results in them getting all over the floor. The creosote from wood doesn’t have to be dealt with as frequently, but when the time comes, expensive chimney sweep service is required.
The cleanliness of natural gas eliminates these problems. Typically, all that is required with gas is the occasional cleaning of the inside of the fireplace glass, which is a simple matter.
Reliability
Those who have dealt with wood fires know that they aren’t always easy to start. Tinder must be obtained and then lit. Then, the heat and flames from that are used to light the big logs. All of that sounds fine until the fire starter has to deal with wet logs, tinder that burns away before the logs light, jammed flues, and other common problems. When one or more of those conditions exist, trying to light the fire becomes about as easy as solving a Rubik’s Cube for the first time.
With gas, there are never any problems like this. Starting a fire is as easy as turning on a light switch. More gas fireplace units have an electric ignition system now that will light the pilot light for you. And presto, the fire is lit and burning perfectly.
Safety
Natural gas doesn’t pop or crackle, and when it comes to safety, this is a good thing. There’s no need to worry about hot embers being thrown from the fireplace onto the carpet, creosote igniting in the chimney, or any of that. All it takes to keep a gas fireplace safe is an occasional tune-up. As of January 1, 2015, all gas appliances are required to have a fixed (almost invisible) safety screen to prevent children and pets from touching the hot glass on the gas fireplace. With this said, its now safer than ever to own a gas fireplace, gas insert or gas stove.
Thanks to these benefits, gas fireplaces are the top choice in many homes. Even their fires look as good as the ones that use actual wood. If you are shopping late summer or early fall, be sure to add Energy Savers on your list of stops to compare our units to our competitors. You also will receive sale pricing if you arrive during our Annual Fall Sale! Call us or stop by our Oakdale Minnesota showroom for more details and a free estimate.