subject: Fireplace And Hearth Appliance Fuel Options [print this page] Today, gas burning hearth products - gas stoves, gas fireplaces, gas fireplace inserts, gas logs, etc. - are the most popular hearth category. Thanks to significant product innovations almost 70% of all hearth products now burn gas. Gas fireplaces and gas stoves have convenient optional features that allow you to have a beautiful fire at the touch of a switch, thermostat or even a remote control. All gas stoves, gas fireplaces, gas fireplace inserts and gas logs can burn either natural gas or propane (LP). As with their wood stove and wood fireplace counterparts, gas stoves, gas fireplaces, gas fireplace inserts and gas logs are designed to either provide aesthetics or to produce heat.
Gas hearth products are characterized by how they are vented. Natural draft gas stoves, gas fireplaces and gas fireplace inserts vent products of combustion outside the home using an inexpensive (Class B) pipe similar to that used on furnaces or gas-fired water heaters. As with a conventional wood stove or fireplace, the pipe goes vertically through the roof. Natural draft gas stoves and gas fireplaces are tested and listed as either decorative or heater-rated units.
Direct vent gas stoves, gas fireplaces and gas fireplace inserts vent in a revolutionary new way. They do not need a full chimney terminating through the roof, so installation costs are lower. Because direct-vent gas stoves, gas fireplaces and gas fireplace inserts can vent directly through the wall, this new technology is great for apartments and condominiums or unusual applications such as under a window.
Direct vent stoves, fireplaces and fireplace inserts are also especially attractive in tightly insulated homes. By pulling air for the fire from outside the home and exhausting the burned gasses through the same vent system, the combustion process is completely sealed from the living area. This eliminates concerns about indoor air quality and results in a balanced burn that is not affected by fans or other drafts. Most direct-vent stoves, fireplaces and fireplace inserts are very efficient and are rated as "heaters" by testing agencies and regulatory authorities.
Wood
When most people think of a fire in a stove or fireplace, they think of burning wood, which is natural. Wood is the traditional fuel. It grows locally, is abundant in most areas and is one of our few renewable sources of energy. For many, nothing beats the warmth and beauty of a true wood fire. Burning wood in a wood stove or woodburning fireplace also makes great sense from an environmental standpoint. As concern about greenhouse gases increases, so does the attraction of using renewable biomass for energy. Trees convert carbon dioxide into oxygen, replenishing the atmosphere. Most firewood comes from harvesting dead trees. Unlike fossil fuels, there is no net carbon contribution when burning wood, as those same gases are given off when the tree decomposes in nature. Burning wood has become less polluting and more efficient over the past decade. Sophisticated new designs have doubled the energy efficiency of wood stoves. Even better, the amount of smoke emitted by wood stoves has been reduced by an average of 90 percent. All wood burning stoves and inserts sold today are certified by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) as clean-burning. And less smoke means less potentially flammable creosote within their chimney systems; the safety record of wood burning stoves and wood burning fireplaces is the best ever.
Burning wood in a wood stove or wood burning fireplace or wood burning fireplace insert also makes economic sense. Many people have access to their own firewood. Even when purchased, cordwood can be an inexpensive form of residential space heating. Modern wood stoves can heat the entire house providing the home is well constructed and adequately insulated. Best of all, there is the immense satisfaction of relaxing in front of your fire.
Alternatives Fuels
Wood wax firelogs are made of recycled sawdust mixed with wax. These neatly wrapped logs are available many places including supermarkets and convenience stores. They ignite easily and quickly, burn cleanly, leave little ash and offer a longer more consistent burn than cordwood. Wood pellets are a fuel option that answers the need for clean burning, renewable energy. Pellets are made of compressed sawdust that might otherwise end up in landfills. The fuel is consistent in size, and comes in forty-pound bags. Simply pour the pellets into a hopper which feeds automatically into the pellet stove. A single load can burn 24 hours in a pellet stove. Pellets are available at fireplace and stove specialty stores, mass merchants, home improvement stores and feed stores.
Clean, dry shelled corn is a renewable fuel option that is burned in some freestanding stoves or inserts or in some biomass stoves. The corn must be clean and dried (15.5% moisture or less is recommended) and stored in an area free from rodents, birds, squirrels or other vermin.
Coal is clean burning, producing no visible smoke or creosote. Coal stoves can burn longer per fuel load than wood stoves and provides an even and controllable heat. Some stoves are "dual-fuel" and capable of burning both wood and coal.
Homeowners without natural gas have an economical, convenient reliable room heating option with oil. An oil stove runs quietly unattended without electricity as long as there is fuel in the tank.
An electric stove or electric fireplace is a simulated gentle wood fire but without a chimney or venting system. Electric fireplaces and electric stoves have a built-in heater to provide the right amount of warmth controllable by the flick of a switch. Electric fireplaces and electric stoves can be installed into an existing fireplace opening or into a fireplace mantel. Electric fireplaces and electric stoves are ideal for apartments, town homes, offices or even hotel lobbies and rooms.
