Comparison of a Gas Log Fireplace to a Wood Burning Stove

Gas Log Fireplace

• A gas log fireplace is a versatile choice. The fireplace units are sold as inserts that you can place inside of an existing masonry structure, or you can start from scratch and have the fireplace custom-built. You also have one more option: a freestanding gas log fireplace. These units are referred to as stoves, only they are fueled by gas logs instead of wood. But that's not the end of your options when you choose gas. If you don't have a chimney, you can select a ventless unit, which will allow you to place the fireplace right in the middle of the room for three-sided or 360-degree viewing and heating.

Wood Burning Stove

• Wood stoves also give you options, but not quite as many as gas. You can have a conventional freestanding stove, or you can choose a wood-burning stove insert. The freestanding stove is the style you probably are used to seeing. They are self-contained units that have a stovepipe to vent smoke outdoors. Stove inserts are used to slide into openings surrounded by masonry, which makes the stove look more like a traditional fireplace. Inserts are vented with an existing chimney, or you can create a stovepipe and connect it to the stove insert to vent smoke outdoors.

Similarities

• Despite appearances and differences in energy sources, there are actually quite a few similarities between wood-burning stoves and gas log fireplaces. Both generate heat and give rooms a warm and inviting ambiance, and you can create the same look of a fireplace with a wood-burning stove insert that you can with a gas log fireplace insert. O, you can choose a freestanding stove that uses gas logs if a stove is more what you have in mind but want the convenience of using gas for fuel and heating. So you really have similar options with both. The decision lies in whether you want a fireplace or a stove and what kind of fuel you want to use.

Differences

• The fuel source is the big difference. Gas is a fossil fuel while wood is a natural, renewable source of energy. Gas keeps you tied to living "on the grid," and wood lets you live "off the grid." With a wood-burning stove, you purchase your "energy" when you want, where you want and at the quantity you want, and pay for it by the cord. While natural gas is supplied through pipelines from your local natural gas company, you pay by the therm each month. Unlike gas, with wood you can separate your energy expenses for the stove or insert from other appliances. However, one way to get around that is to use propane instead of natural gas, which will put you a bit closer to off-grid living than natural gas, but you will still have to purchase or lease a propane tank to keep a supply of fuel.