Wood burning fireplace to a gas log fireplace?

Question

how do I convert my wood burning fireplace to gas logs? I have a heat pump so we have no gas at out house , so i know i must get that installed. We have never used our fireplace because i dont want to burn wood, but prefer gas logs. Please help

Answer 1

I done basically the same thing a few years ago except I added a enclosed insert in my wood burning fireplace.

Basically you seal the fireplace (close the damper). I had a heatilator so I just put insulation in the vents.

Clean everything out of the fireplace (grate, ashes, dirt, etc) and lay the logs in. You will need to have a gas line run to the fireplace. This is the expensive part depending on how far the run is. I think I paid somewhere around $12 per foot to have the line run and I already have natural gas for heating. The run was about 50 ft.  

One thing to check - Make sure the logs are sized to the room.

That was my problem, the logs wouldn't generate enough heat for the room and I was forced to go to an insert (which is much nicer).

My room is apprx. 14 wide by 24 long with a sloped ceiling from 8 ft to about 14 ft high.

Answer 2

The most important and costly part of your project will be the gas line installation. A gas log kit comes with a burner plate that attaches to the gas supply pipe inside the firebox. After that it's just a matter of positioning the rock wool ( simulates glowing coals ) and the ceramic logs.

Answer 3

Gas logs come in natural gas or propane gas as well as vented or non-vented. It is the cleanest of all heating mediums. Natural gas is the more economical to operate. Not all states will allow the non-vented, but if your state does it is the way to go. The non-vented gives you 100 percent of the heat into your home, however, gas does produce a lot of moisture into your home, which is not necessarily a bad thing if your house tends to be dry.  If you use the vented it may require that you install a stainless steel chimney within your current  chimney, whereas with the non vented you can have them installed directly in your fireplace. You can also  buy a non-vented fire place that will only require a gas hook up. The first place to start is at either one of the big box stores (Lowes, Home Depot) or a stove/fireplace store. They can help you with the proper size etc. A licensed plumber is required to pipe the gas to the fire place or any other appliance that you want installed. If you go with propane, the propane delivery company can help you with the installation (they sometimes employ plumbers).  If you do use propane have your outside gas grill hooked up to it at the same time. Your gas grill can also be converted to natural gas. If you are having either natural gas or propane gas piped into your house, you should consider having it piped to all the possible conversions that you may do later (stove, dryer, gas grill and free standing gas room heater). I have the logs installed in my living room fireplace with remote control and I love them. I also have a non-ventd wall heater in my family room which allows me to keep just the room that I use to be toasty warm and the rest of the house to be economicly cool. I have estimated that I save at least 50 percent on my yearly heating bill.