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Choices that Work
Fireplace Choices that Work
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Warming up the house without killing the budget...
Nothing beats the warm and cozy feeling of a fireplace. Plus, adding
a fireplace can increase the value of your home by as much as ten
percent and is much easier and less expensive than it used to be.
With the advanced technology available, the new fireplaces provide
great ambience, ease of use and even help reduce heating bills.
There are a number of things to consider when choosing a new fireplace
for your home and plenty of choices to make.
Pre-Engineered Wood-Burning Fireplace
These units are the choice of many homeowners who are remodeling
or building a new home. The pre-engineered fireplace is much easier
to install and less expensive than a traditional masonry fireplace.
Basically, it's a lightweight brick lined firebox encased in metal.
Because it is completely insulated, it can be installed within an
inch of combustible materials. These models cost about one-third
of the price of a masonry fireplace ($500 to $600) and can also
be equipped with a gas lighter or gas logs.
Gas Lighter Kit
If you are going to burn wood and you didn't camp out much as a
kid, you may need some help getting the fire started. The gas lighter
kit is connected to a gas line installed inside your fireplace.
You simply place your logs over it and turn it on for a short time
until your fire is blazing. The lighter itself will cost less than
$50 but you may have to pay a plumber to install the gas line in
your fireplace.
Gas Log System
If you have an existing wood-burning fireplace and are tired of
searching for firewood, another option is the gas log system. Gas
log systems are installed right in your fireplace and are made of
ceramic materials that are fabricated to look like burning firewood.
You simply turn the fire on or off without having to wood gather
or clean up the mess left behind from wood.. Because the fire is
instant-on and instant-off, it makes managing the temperature in
the room much easier. A good set of gas logs will cost around $500
(there are a lot of options and models, so the prices may vary quite
a bit) but again you'll have to have a gas line in the firebox.
Gas Insert
One of the major problems with the traditional fireplace is that
about 90% of the heat goes right up the chimney. It provides a nice
atmosphere but does little to actually heat the home. Again, if
you have an existing fireplace that is either not working or you
want to upgrade the look and get additional heating, the fireplace
insert is a good choice. These units can burn gas or wood and are
much more effective in keeping your home warm. You simply choose
a unit that fits into the space of your existing fireplace and seal
off the rest of the opening.
Gas Fireplace
Gas-burning fireplaces have become the choice for beauty, simplicity
and ease of use. These fireplaces are designed to work specifically
with gas burning logs and as a result are far more efficient at
keeping the heat they generate in the home. Some of these units
are self-contained (covered with glass doors) and equipped with
blowers to circulate warm air into the room. In some cases, this
translates to as much as 70-80% heating efficiency. For remodeling
applications, these can't be beat because they can be added to a
room with very minor modifications. Some manufacturers even have
pre-fabricated wall units designed specifically for fireplaces so
that all you have to do is cut a hole for the vent pipe. In some
cases you can even find gas fireplaces that don't require any venting
at all. These units vary greatly in capability and options so the
prices will too, from around $1,500 to $4,000. Depending on your
choices, you may also have to make more involved modifications to
the room than just supplying gas and venting.
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