Safety Alert: Never Arrange Fake Fireplace Logs

Fireplaces that burn logs of wood to stay warm have been around since ancient history. However, due to the better alternatives there are these days, and the problems homeowners face with wood fireplaces, they just aren’t a good idea anymore. First, the main types are going to be:

●  Enclosed – A fireplace with the front of it completely closed off from the room that it is in. This helps out with flames being exposed to the room so it is a little safer. Because of the vents in it, it can also be a bit more efficient as well.


●  Open Hearth – The normal type of fireplace. An open hearth is basically just a space to build a fire, completely exposed to the room so safety and efficiency aren’t quite as good.


●  Enclosed Insert – Some people who originally own an open hearth style use enclosed inserts to turn them into enclosed fireplaces.


●  Fire Pit – In outdoor spaces, these pits are common and come in a wide variety of types. They can even be made by yourself.


●  Wood Stoves – Country style homes might still feature these older wood style stoves that radiate heat with a flat top so people can cook as well.

Remember, wood fireplaces shouldn’t be used, and that is due to these critical issues you have to take under consideration with them:

●  Fire Safety – As the fireplace burns wood, smoke causes soot to build up a layer on the inside of your chimney. This soot is seriously very flammable. If it isn’t cleaned out regularly, the flames of the fireplace can ignite all of the soot, and you will have a fire spreading up the entire side of your chimney. This can spread to the rest of the house, and cause your entire home to burn down.


● Harmful Emissions – Wood fireplaces have chimneys to release smoke and toxins, but they aren’t 100% effective. Some smoke and some carbon monoxide doesn’t escape through the chimney, but rather makes its way right into your home. Inhaling either of these in a significant amount can be potentially deadly.


● Hassle – You can’t just start a fire and completely ignore it. You have to go to the trouble of cleaning out ash, splitting logs, and building a fire. Even after it is burning, you’re still required to keep a close eye on it, and when it dies down you have to stoke the flames with additional logs. All of this work isn’t even counting the regular maintenance you have to do on it to keep it safe.


●  Heat Loss – It’s important wood fireplaces have that ventilation in order for all of the smoke to escape out of your home. The downside is a lot of the heat from burning wood also manages to escape out of your home. This isn’t efficient at all.


●  Smell – Smells from the smoke fill homes quite easily. Even after the fireplace is extinguished, the smoke lingers for several days. This is because it gets into the fibers of any cloth. Rugs and carpets, curtains and drapes, plus a lot of your furniture.


●  Stains – Not only will the smoke stain a lot of these items previously mentioned, but it will also stain the walls. Over time, people will begin to notice that their walls are yellowing. Even right above the fireplace, soot can build up on the wall there as well.


●  TV Damage – If you don’t have anything else you want to hang above your mantel, you might think that a TV is a good idea. You’d be wrong. With wood fireplaces, they have heat that rises directly upwards, plus all of that smoke that causes soot. It won’t be long before all of this works its way into the internal electronics of your flat screen TV set. This damages it and you’ll either have to get someone to repair it or you may have to entirely replace it.


●  Wood Storage – Hopefully you have plenty of space around your home, because wood fireplaces require a lot of wood to burn. This means you’ll need a good sized storage area for enough wood to burn during the colder time of the year.


●  Expensive Construction – It is almost impossible to get the permit to build a new one for many parts of the US. If approved, expect to spend a small fortune having professionals build it onto your home.

Burning wood for warmth is much safer outdoors than it is indoors. If you have a fire pit out in your backyard, completely exposed to the open air, far away from other flammable objects, it is considerably safer. For this reason, outdoor fireplaces that you burn logs in might be okay. Many of the problems you have with indoor fireplaces where you’d burn wood aren’t problems when the fire is burned outdoors. Just be sure you have your fire pit over a stone or brick foundation, rather than over a wood deck that can easily catch fire.

Because so many people are either choosing to switch away from wood fireplaces, or they are being forced to since you can’t find them in new homes throughout many regions in the US, gas fireplaces are quickly taking their place as what is considered a real fireplace. If you were to go look at houses to buy, unless they were built several decades ago, expect them to have gas fireplaces in them in many cases. Of course, there are many different types of gas fireplaces that can vary a lot in how they work and how they look. Be aware of that.

Unless you already have some kind of experience installing things like gas lines or things in the home that use gas, you really should be getting a professional to do it for you. Professionals are very knowledgeable about safety regulations and will use all of the proper tools and parts so that you don’t have to worry about future safety issues. Also, many areas may require you to have gas fireplaces inspected to make sure it fits the local regulations. So a professional will be better.

Natural has a big benefit in the sense that most homes have a gas utility hookup. For this reason, it is rather easy to have a steady source of gas. Propane, as an alternative to the gas from your utilities, is a little bit better if you want a clean burn or just heat efficiency in general. However, with this kind of gas, you will be required to change out your tanks whenever they run out. Some people live in area where they don’t have gas utility hookups, therefore they only have the one choice for them to go with.

There are some gas fireplaces where you’ll just see a linear row of flames coming directly out of the burners. Some people like this look. Others don’t like this look. For people who don’t like it, there are gas fireplaces that come with logs inside of them. This does two things. The first thing it does is make it look a bit more like an older style fireplace with wood inside of it. The second thing it does is it helps to break the flames up a little to give a simple flickering effect rather than a boring, steady stream of flames.

No, you must never move these logs around at all, stack them, or anything else. They need to be left in the exact place they were put at all times. This can result in some serious safety issues because of how the fireplace is designed with the logs in mind. You can cause a gas leak, or interfere with how it burns so that it produces significantly more carbon monoxide. If you’d like them rearranged or something changed inside, you should consult with a professional, and likely contact the manufacturer for assistance as well.

Yes, there is some special care and maintenance that will be required of the logs you have inside of certain gas fireplaces. Depending on the exact brand and even the model of fireplace you purchase, it is going to need to be regularly cleaned and inspected. Wires will need to be checked for safety. And the most important part that needs to be checked might be the gas valves themselves. Some of these inspections and this maintenance can be done by you. However, some may need professional servicing once or twice a year. You need to see the recommendations and guides of your specific model.

It depends on the specific brand that you have of course. However, there are a few differences you might notice regardless of brand choice. First, ceramic logs may look a little bit more artificial in many cases. Refractory, or a mixture of cement and ceramic, has the benefit of looking a little less glossy and artificial, and can even have a little bit better texture. Additionally, refractory has a higher heat tolerance and can also radiate a lot more heat as a result. Pricing is pretty close, but in many cases refractory logs will tend to cost slightly more.

Just like logs inside of fireplaces can help make them look more like wood fireplaces, ember beds can also have a similar effect. There are several different styles of ember beds you might find with gas fireplaces. Some can be very simple and subtle. Others might glow a bit when exposed to flames the same way the ends of the logs sometimes do. This will heavily depend on whichever specific fireplace brand you’ve purchased. In most cases, additional features that help with realism will add to the price, so make note.

Gas fireplaces that have direct vents are ones that produce a lot of harmful toxins that need to escape the home through the ventilation. While wood fireplaces do this with a large chimney, you don’t need quite as much ventilation with gas fireplaces since they have less byproducts in general. With a direct vent fireplace that burns gas, it will usually just be a simple ventilation pipe that will run up into the wall and out through the roof of the home for toxins to escape. This will mostly be dangerous carbon monoxide the incomplete burning produces.

These types of gas fireplaces make up the other half of the common types. This simply means that there is no need for any kind of special ventilation of these fireplaces. The burning doesn’t produce nearly as many toxic byproducts as the gas fireplaces that need vents. It is very important to note here that while they technically don’t require vents, some byproducts can still be let off and enter your home in small amounts. Additionally, there may be a problem with your specific fireplace you’re not aware of like a faulty valve or other issue. This can cause the burning gas to not burn completely, releasing these harmful byproducts into your home.

You can find many different styles and types and variations of gas fireplaces. This includes more rural looks like wood stoves. Although these kinds of fireplaces might look a little out of place in several more modern types of homes, for homes with a more controlled or rural look to them, wood stoves could be a great visual, even if your fireplace burns gas. Of course, not every company that makes gas fireplaces makes units that look like these types of stoves. So, you’ll need to search and find a company that does offer this type of unit for you.

While generic products might be okay for low cost items, you shouldn’t take chances with generic products for high cost items, especially when they will be larger, permanent features in your home. This is especially true when you are considering which brand of fireplace to buy. Instead of simply hunting for a good deal and buying one that seems like a good price to you, invest in higher quality fireplaces you might find with trusted, reliable brand names.

Electric fireplace logs are also available for electric fireplaces. In truth, electric fireplaces are very simply a much better choice to warm your home than gas fireplaces. First, there are a lot safer than gas fireplaces. Nothing is burning, and there are not byproducts you have to worry about breathing in. Installation of them is a lot easier and can be done by yourself. If people invest wisely in high end brands, they’ll also get an electric fireplace that features amazingly impressive energy efficiency. This results in lower heat bills.
 
Another great thing about them is ventilation isn’t a need so you have a lot of freedom in choosing the room that you want your fireplace. Add on that they can be used in rental properties and you can also safely mount TVs up above them and you have a winning combination.

There are several versions of fire technology you’ll find in different brands of electric fireplaces. Not all of these effects look good. On the cheaper end of the spectrum, you’ll find a lot of effects used in fireplaces that are very basic LED fires on 2D screens. It lacks the authentic look that most people desire. However, as you look at better and better electric fireplaces, you find that the technology inside of them also gets better and the fire effects start to look more realistic.
 
At the highest tier of realism you have Holoflame technology. These are 3D projected flames that are holograms inside of the fireplace. MagikFlame is the brand of electric fireplaces that features Holoflame technology, and it is also the brand of electric fireplaces that is widely considered the most realistic.

Electric fireplaces, no matter what pricing or quality level they are at, usually come with some type of remote for you to control your fireplace from across the room. They can be simple remotes that turn it on or off and change the heat. They can be more involved and also control things like visual effects options.
 
At the highest levels, you’ll get smartphone and tablet apps instead of remotes. These have many more control features for every aspect. Also, these can usually control the fireplace without direct line of sight, unlike traditional remotes. The other benefit of these apps is you will also have your phone nearby, no need to look around for the remote. You can also forget about changing batteries or having the remote fall down and get lost in the cushions of your couch.

Older fireplaces that are already in your home can be bothersome. You want to focus on electric fireplaces, because you have this big open hearth style fireplace that burns wood. Luckily, there are many high end brands of electric fireplaces that provide inserts, not just full mantel packages.
 
With these inserts, you get the power and features of that brand of fireplace, as well as the flexibility of a bare bones unit. You can insert these into your old wood fireplaces, transforming them easily into electric versions.

The only brand of electric fireplaces that has realistic Holoflame technology is MagikFlame. There are many great models to choose from like their MagikFlame Neo. All models sport the following features:

●       Ultra-Realistic Fire Effects That Can’t Be Beat

●       Crackle Log Sounds That Elevate The Visuals

●       5,200 BTU Heat Unit To Quickly Warm Your Residence

●       Smartphone App So You Have Full Control From Anywhere At Home