Working Fireplace or Not?

I installed a gas coals box…no additional chimney work required…nice flame. I’ve posted about this before. Some will disagree with what I am about to say…

I initially found out about these from the fireplace guys doing a major renovation of a very large mansion in Philly (next to the Powell House). They completely redid the flues and boxes for a few WBFs but installed a gas “coals” insert in the livingroom exactly because of the smoke issue that is inevitable. They SEALED the flue. They showed me (with a high end meter) that there were NO carbon monoxide emissions and that the gas insert would heat the room better with the flue sealed. The unit works exactly as if you had a few burners going on your gas range in the kitchen, i.e. no carbon monoxide. The key is the unit…it has to burn blue flame therefore no “unburned” gases which is where the CO comes from.

You are welcome to come and visit me to see it in operation. The units come from http://www.gascoals.com but yes, they state that they must be vented but they must state this. The units don’t need to be vented.

For what it’s worth, I love a fireplace, but wouldn’t pay extra for one. I’ve lived with them before and cleaning up the ash is a pain. I’ve lived with the 19th century style open coal grate burning coal – only about 10% thermal efficiency and very messy to clean up. I’ve also lived with the late 20th century style closed, slow combustion wood burning fire box – about 60% thermal efficiency and much easier to clean. If both weren’t the principal source of heat for the house, I probably wouldn’t have used either very often.

I would go for grand army’s suggestion especially if the main motivation is aesthetic rather than a need for heat.

On the advice of this site, we used A&A. I can’t remember the exact price but it was the cheapest and they did a great job.

We converted two of our fireplaces to wood-burning about 10 years ago at a cost of around $5k each. It was a major job involving constructing a terracotta flue in each chimney + firebox and hearth. We used A&A. Andre is very honest and direct. I recommend him.

If we had to do it again, here’s what I would change:

i) Install a wood-burning insert in the parlor floor fireplace. Currently, the fireplace smokes a little. This is hard to avoid since it was originally built as a hot-air vent, ie. the mantel, summer grill etc were strictly decorative, so the proportions aren’t quite right for a wbf — I can’t blame Andre’s conversion for this. With an insert, there’s almost no smell, ashes are greatly reduced (less of a pain to clean up), and the actual heating is way more efficient.

ii) I’d run a gas line to the 3rd floor fireplace and install a gas insert. Quick and easy operation. No fumes, no ashes. It’s adjacent to our bedroom so I can’t really deal with any smoke on this floor and as a result we don’t use the wbf.

Overall, wbfs are pretty over-rated imo. But I suspect they help with resale — not in terms of the price, more in closing the deal. They can be part of the psychology of convincing a buyer this is THE house for them.