Common Myths About Gas Fireplace Inserts

Having a fireplace in your home is one of the most charming and traditional ways to generate heat. Switching to a gas fireplace by installing a gas insert if you have a wood-burning fireplace is easy enough, and gas is far more efficient. But there are a lot of myths that get in the way of homeowners making the decision to go with a gas fireplace insert. Take a look at a few of the most common myths about gas fireplace inserts and the real facts that you should know so you can make the best decision. 

Myth: You have to completely remove a wood fireplace to install a gas one.  

Even though this can be true in an older home that has an oddly shaped or very large wood fireplace, for the most part, it is not true at all. Gas inserts are actually designed to slip right into an existing wood fireplace, so the transition is as seamless as possible. You can pick up a gas insert of your choice at a home improvement store and typically have it in place pretty quickly other than having the gas lines ran and making the proper fuel connections. 

Myth: Gas fireplace inserts are more of a fire hazard than a wood fireplace. 

It is natural for any live fire inside your house to cause some concern about causing a house fire. Wood fireplaces could actually be deemed as a little more risky than gas fireplaces. There are a few reasons why this is the case:

• Gas fireplaces burn at a controlled temperature whereas fire does not
• Gas fireplaces have a solid protective cover across the flames and wood does not
• Gas fireplaces can be immediately shut off when you no longer need the fire and wood has to burn out

Myth: Gas fireplace inserts don't offer the same ambiance. 

You think about a wood fireplace, and you envision the warm glow of a crackling fire. It is easy to assume that a gas fireplace could not offer the same sort of cozy appeal. However, modern gas fireplaces are designed to look and sound as much like a real wood-burning fire as possible. Some of them have realistic looking logs inside that the flames wrap and flicker around. Plus, the heat exuded is much the same as a wood fireplace, so it can be hard to tell the difference.  

For more information, contact your local fireplace inserts company.