By Jack Dawson
A home becomes perfectly cozy once you have your fireplace set up. When building a fireplace much thought has to go into choosing the right kind of fuel and the size of logs. If you already have a distinct style of a fireplace set up, all you need to do is find the correct gas log system that can brighten up the living room or your bedroom. Here a few tips to choose the perfect gas logs for your happy home.
First things first
Find out about your venting options. Usually, gas logs have two kinds of venting options – vented and vent free. As usual, each of them has their unique set of advantages and disadvantages. Most homes that do not need much heating go with the vented gas logs. These burn for longer periods. The flame caresses the logs, and this creates a bright yellow light. As you can already understand, vented systems are ideal if you want more light. Vent free systems are cleaner. The logs burn with a blue flame, which does not create much light. However, it does generate much heat. If your home tends to get chillier during the winter, you may want to consider a vent free system. Vent free systems even consumer lesser fuel as compared to a vented system.
Fire Place
Research your Trim options
Your trim styles and color should match the rest of your décor. It should feel like a part of your home, even if you want it to be your statement piece. Some people choose to exaggerate their mantel with a distressed wood finish or polished marble. You can outline your entire fireplace with black granite. That is one sleek look bound to invoke awe and envy in the onlookers. If you want to keep things minimal and suave, choose a raw stucco style of trim that complements your minimal theme. A faux-stone façade is en vogue for urban homes and apartments. It not only imparts a richness to the room, but it also creates a feeling of luxurious comfort every homeowner craves for. Choosing the correct trim is very important since you will not be having your fireplace on 24×7. You need to find out how the décor looks even when there’s no fire burning.
Correct measurements are the secret to a pretty fireplace
Start with measuring the width of the front opening and the height too. Measure the width and height at the back as well. You must remember, you need to maintain a 2 inch gap between the logs and the fireplace wall to keep it safe. This will also help the logs burn correctly with enough space. Now, if you want gas logs, your fireplace has to be 12 to 14 inches deep. If you are not getting that much depth or width, no point struggling with gas logs. You can avail other options that may not be too conventional, but they are as closest to the natural option as you can find.
Choosing a gas log set,which is too small, can hamper the aesthetics of your fireplace. If it is too large, it will damage the walls and the fuel system. You need the right measurements of your fireplace before you can book your gas logs online. Assumptions about the dimensions are simply not good enough if you want your fireplace to look pretty as a picture in front of the Persian rug you picked out online.
Choice of fuel for your logs
If you already have a natural gas connection for cooking, you may want to use that to support your gas logs. In case, you are not using natural gas sources, or you have no access to natural gas systems, you may want to go for propane-operated gas logs. The gas log burner is essential for a vented system. It determines the height of the flame, the flicker, and the color. The burner also actively determines the number of rows in which the flames will burn. You should match your vent type and the burner type so that the generated heat does not go up the chimney and you end up wasting a lot of money and fuel. Always check the BTU output on the vent-free burner. It will determine how much heat comes out of your fireplace.
Your flame control options
These are very necessary for safety as well as comfort. You will find three basic set of choices for all gas log sets. The manual valve on/off switch controls the main flame. Invest in a good quality switch that will give you complete control over the flame on/off options. The second point of control is the safety pilot valve. This is ubiquitous to all good log sets. It is similar to the safety valve on water pipelines or gas pipelines. This controls the main gas flow into the fireplace. The third is your millivolt safety pilot valve. You can hook this up directly to your wall switch, remote or thermostat. This is perfect for the high-tech homes that have remote controlled everything!
Go for easiest set of controls
These are your three primary control options that contribute to home safety. Apart from that, you may come across various control options akin of AI technology. Go with something that is simple to use and does not take away the fun of lighting a celebratory or comforting fire after an entire day’s grind at your workplace. While choosing the control options, always check reviews. You will find hundreds of options that will give you the “best” technology at bargain prices. However, you need to find something that suits all your needs. Some people can control their gas fireplaces using Cortana or Alexa, if you do not have that kind of technology or if you are a noble old-timer, you should not have to change your technology choices to accommodate your new fireplace simply. You can go with simpler controls like the kind found in remote controls or thermostat switches.
Your fireplace can tell a lot about your home and your taste. No hearth is ever complete without the perfect gas logs. Follow the simple steps mentioned above to find the perfect logs for your perfect fireplace.
Image credit: wikimedia.org/
Jack Dawson
Author: Jack Dawson
If you would like to submit a guest post on food, wine or travel to Where and What in the World, I would be happy to feature your travel experience , drink, special wine tasting, or family or simply delicious recipe. If you go to submission tab, you will see how to submit, as well as have the opportunity of telling me if you would like to would like to be a regular contributor. When uploading a file for submission, you are also able to upload jpgs. Please feel free to put a last paragraph about you and a link to your profile. No html please. You can also include a head shot.
Author: Maralyn
Maralyn Dennis Hill, The Epicurean Explorer, is president emeritus of International Food Wine & Travel Writers Association, member of Society of American Travel Writers, and Society of Professional Journalists. She is Executive Editor of Luxe Beat Magazine and contributes to other publications. She also speaks and is a guest on many shows. The majority of Maralyn’s articles are now geared to the luxury market, spas, corporate retreats, business events, and culinary tourism, from simple to gourmet. Maralyn’s description of herself: I was born to travel and tell the tale. I’m energized by different cultures in every aspect of their lives, from food, wine, and destination, to how they conduct business. Travel represents a continual geography lesson.
