Fireplace Thinking About Going Back to Wood

[seedcorn]

We burnt wood for 30+ years. Love the heat. Liked cutting wood. Liked having heat when electric went out. Hated the mess. Hated the fact my wife couldn't walk by it without opening the door and throwing something in it-even if just a piece of lint.....

Kids left (forced child labor to haul wood) wood stove left. Actually still in garage as I threatened to hook it up.

 

[Nyboy]

Why can't you burn trash in small amounts?

 

[thistlebloom]

Tell your friends that walking is more green than driving a car and see how many give theirs up.
I think you should leave your fireplace as it is, and enjoy the peace of mind and lack of work it gives you.

 

[ninnymary]

Ohhh Mary, Mary, Mary. What are we going to do with you?
A computer programmed "fire"? I don't even know what to say to that...

Haha, we keep forgetting to buy that remote! I always remember when we go up after Christmas and it is FREEZING.

Mary

 

[thistlebloom]

NYboy, my stove is actually ivory. Or cream.

 

[Nyboy]

It looks VERY clean, no soot stains. My fireplace still as blacken brick from when wood fires burned in it.

 

[thistlebloom]

Well we do kind of try to keep the flames and smoke on the inside.
Thanks NYboy. The drawback to enamel over cast iron is the amount of chipped spots we are accumulating. It looks like we turned Grog the apeman loose on it, but it's actually just wear and tear from dh and I.

 

[Beekissed]

Our firebox is massive. Taller on the inside than the actual opening and very deep. We went through the whole smoke-house learning curve. I would strongly recommend not just a smoke detector, but a carbon monoxide detector. Ours went off many times for various reasons while we learned to operate it properly.
View attachment 9255

That is one gorgeous stove!!!! Love that!

NY, I'd leave it gas. Heating with wood is sort of a lifestyle and it sometimes requires a lot of resolve to stick with it. I'd be afraid you'd get all the gas lines removed and then realize you don't like heating with wood after all...it's dirty, smoky and labor intensive, for all the wonderful benefits. But, a fireplace is mostly for show if you don't have a heat efficient insert, so it's hard to make that kind of a commitment for the decorative reasons.

We have a very basic wood stove made from a barrel...we've been using this design since the 70s and we'd never go back to gas heat. We love wood heat, the independence of it all, the frugality and the way it feels. It just makes good sense out here in the country to have wood heat.

 

[valley ranch]

I had a barrel stove I made in 74, used it for about 20years. I've always heated with wood.

 

[Nyboy]

About 2 years ago I put in new furnace, so heat is covered. Think I will stay will gas.