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Fireplace Inserts
Gas log sets
For use in a wood-burning masonry or prefab fireplace, a gas log set may be vented, ventless, or partially vented. Whichever type you choose, it should be installed by a professional plumber or heating contractor.
Vented logs look the most like a real wood fire; they produce a yellow flame and have glowing "embers," and they can be supplied with additional logs, branches, and even pine cones. The ceramic "logs" simulate oak, pine, or other woods; the grate they rest on looks like a regular wood-fire grate. These log sets must be used with the fireplace damper open, so they are not always the most efficient heaters.
Ventless log sets look more realistic than they used to because a ventless yellow gas flame has replaced the old blue gas flame. Since ventless log sets can be used with the fireplace damper closed, they produce more heat than vented ones. But some locales don't allow them because of concerns about indoor air pollution. The sets do have an oxygen depletion sensor (ODS) to turn off the flame if oxygen levels drop too low. Still, it's best not to use them in a very tightly constructed home, or if someone living there is elderly or has respiratory problems.
The in-between choice is a partially vented log set that allows you to leave your damper slightly open. It won't put out as much heat as ventless logs, nor does it look as realistic as vented logs, but this is a viable compromise if allowed in your area.
Gas log sets include a single or dual burner that must be hooked up to a gas line. Additional materials such as silica sand, artificial cinders, and lava rocks that simulate chunks of burning wood may come with the set or be offered separately. Spread around the burner pan and fireplace floor, these give the fire a realistic look.
Log sets usually come with specific directions as to how they should be set up. The grate that holds the ceramic logs is placed over the burner pan and the logs are arranged on top, sometimes according to a specified pattern and sometimes according to user preference. When the fire is lit, the logs, lava rocks, and cinders actually absorb heat, take on a glow, and radiate warmth.
For use in a wood-burning masonry or prefab fireplace, a gas log set may be vented, ventless, or partially vented. Whichever type you choose, it should be installed by a professional plumber or heating contractor.
Vented logs look the most like a real wood fire; they produce a yellow flame and have glowing "embers," and they can be supplied with additional logs, branches, and even pine cones. The ceramic "logs" simulate oak, pine, or other woods; the grate they rest on looks like a regular wood-fire grate. These log sets must be used with the fireplace damper open, so they are not always the most efficient heaters.
Ventless log sets look more realistic than they used to because a ventless yellow gas flame has replaced the old blue gas flame. Since ventless log sets can be used with the fireplace damper closed, they produce more heat than vented ones. But some locales don't allow them because of concerns about indoor air pollution. The sets do have an oxygen depletion sensor (ODS) to turn off the flame if oxygen levels drop too low. Still, it's best not to use them in a very tightly constructed home, or if someone living there is elderly or has respiratory problems.
The in-between choice is a partially vented log set that allows you to leave your damper slightly open. It won't put out as much heat as ventless logs, nor does it look as realistic as vented logs, but this is a viable compromise if allowed in your area.
Gas log sets include a single or dual burner that must be hooked up to a gas line. Additional materials such as silica sand, artificial cinders, and lava rocks that simulate chunks of burning wood may come with the set or be offered separately. Spread around the burner pan and fireplace floor, these give the fire a realistic look.
Log sets usually come with specific directions as to how they should be set up. The grate that holds the ceramic logs is placed over the burner pan and the logs are arranged on top, sometimes according to a specified pattern and sometimes according to user preference. When the fire is lit, the logs, lava rocks, and cinders actually absorb heat, take on a glow, and radiate warmth.
