Posted: 1/17/2008 1:47:16 PM EDT
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I just moved into a house and the house has a gas fireplace, but I would like to know if I could use it for wood burning. I think originally was wood burning, but I don't know how to tell. Could somebody help me out and tell me how can I tell if the fireplace is wood burning ready? Thanks!! |
It's a gas fireplace , I don't like it !, I'm wondering if I can take out the fake "wood" and use real wood ? And yes I'm new to this damn thing !  Just don't know who to ask or anything , don't want to burn my home down !  Thanks |
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I didn't know if you wanted to use it like a hybrid fireplace where you start it with gas just to get it going and then turn off the gas. There are a few things you need to look for. Does the chimney have a damper? Is the firebox brick or ceramic? Can you see up the chimney to daylight? Have you been up on the roof and looked at the top of the flue, if so is it clear? Even if all this equals yes, get a chimney inspector out to look at it and have it cleaned before making a fire. I would hate for you to set your house on fire because some guy on the interweb said it would be fine to build a roaring fire in there. |
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I am a chimney sweep. You need to hire a chimney sweep to inspect it. To many wierd things are done these days (and even worse in past days) for me to reliably answer the question. However, if it has a 12" x 12" clay tile flue liner, a firebrick lined firebox, and a smoke chamber, it was probably ORIGINALLY designed to burn wood. However, with some of the half-ass hacked up "conversions" I have seen, the only way to truly tell is to have an inspection by a qualified sweep (commonly referred to as a level 2 inspection). This inspection should include a video scan of the entire length of the flue for defects, blockages, etc. To locate a sweep certified by the Chimney Safety Institute of America, go to CSIA.org and enter your zip code in the locate a sweep section to the left. Best of luck |
| It most likely can burn "real wood" if the the flue exits the house through the roof. Most fire boxes will allow for either setup. You may want to check to see if the fire box has a fresh air draw connected to it from the outside. Another tip is to make sure your gas stub out is properly sealed with fire rated caulk. |