Crosscurrents 08-09

Fireplaces are a great source for recreation and bonding in the home. But masonry hearths can be dreadfully cumbersome when you’re forced to go through the rounds of stockpiling wood, cutting it and cleaning up afterwards. Gas logs are a wonderful alternative that eliminates all the effort required for a wood fire. Plus, they burn better and last longer than their primitive counterpart.

Gas logs are manufactured as either vented or vent-free. Vented is by far the more common of the two and is mostly associated with taking the place of wood in a traditional fireplace. If anything, vented logs are like a facsimile of wood logs except their source of energy is different and they don’t deteriorate as they burn. Like wood, however, vented logs create a lot of carbon monoxide as they burn and therefore need a source of ventilation to be used safely in your home. If a house doesn’t feature a place, ventilation can be installed to accommodate a gas-burning unit.

Vent-free logs are far less common and create more of an ambience than they do heat. They too generate a high concentration of carbon monoxide as they burn but because there is no ventilation, they can prove considerably more dangerous. It’s highly recommended that anyone using the vent-free variety of log have a bevy of carbon monoxide detectors placed around their home.

Whether you are using wood or gas to light your fireplace, always make sure to exercise caution and follow the safety guidelines that come with any product.