Converting a forgettable gas fireplace into a cozy, efficient wood-burning stove can breathe new life into any living room. Before you light your first real log fire, though, careful planning helps ensure your makeover goes smoothly.
We’ll walk through critical steps – from assessing your existing fireplace to tips for responsible stove ownership. Follow our guide to reveal the warm, rustic charm waiting inside your unused fireplace.
Is Your Gas Fireplace Right for a Makeover?
Not all gas fireplaces can house a wood-burning insert. Fireboxes in modern, prefab models lack proper ventilation. Your first step is confirming your masonry fireplace was originally wood-burning.
Examine the interior, checking dimensions accommodate a stove. Scan for cracks or faults that impact safety. Consult a specialist if unsure – they can verify both chimney suitability and compliance with building codes.
Taking Fireplace Measurements
Carefully measure inside width, height, and depth using a tape measure. Compare to wood stove sizing charts when selecting an appropriate model.
Checking for Structural Issues
Scan interior bricks or stone for damage like cracks or holes. Faults can impact ventilation safety. If present, have a professional inspect and repair prior to installation.
Consulting an Expert
To confirm feasibility, consult a certified chimney sweep or wood stove specialist early. This expert insight verifies your fireplace suits conversion needs.
Why Convert to a Cozy Wood Stove?
Trading a dull gas insert for lively fire flickers modernizes any room’s ambiance. Efficient models cut energy costs substantially over propane or gas. Enjoy watching real flames dance as you relax inside a warmer, more cost-effective and eco-friendly living room.
| More Efficient Heating | Modern wood stoves transfer up to 80% of fuel’s BTU as usable heat, far higher than most gas fireplaces. |
| Lower Operating Costs | Heating mainly with inexpensive firewood saves thousands over high propane or gas bills annually. |
| Classic Style and Appeal | Crackling fires filling an elegant stone firebox create a gorgeous, nostalgic focal point. |
Choosing the Perfect Wood Stove
With so many stove varieties available, selectivity pays off. Seek options fitting your masonry opening exactly, with heat outputs suitable for the room size. Whether modern or traditional styling, select finishes complementing your decor.
Considerations for Heat Output
Avoid overpowering small spaces with an overly-potent stove. Measure room square footage, factoring ceiling heights under 20 feet. Use those dimensions and insulation levels to determine ideal BTU ratings.
High-Efficiency Models
Upgraded stoves feature catalytic combustion, retaining and reburning smoke through secondary chambers. This innovation means less fuel wasted along with fewer emissions.
Complementing Room Decor
Stoves come in wide-ranging materials like cast iron, soapstone, porcelain enamel or stainless steel. Choose colors and finishes blending nicely with existing furniture and architecture.
Ensuring Safe and Proper Installation
Converting a fireplace to a wood stove requires careful adherence to building codes and safety best practices. Improper installations risk damage, injury or even carbon monoxide poisoning. We recommend hiring certified specialists for flawless, regulation-meeting outcomes.
Inspecting the Chimney
Before installing, have a certified chimney sweep fully examine the ventilation system. Scan the chimney liner, damper, and crown for any needed repairs allowing smoke to properly exhaust.
Planning Proper Venting
Depending on your chimney’s current setup, installing the stove may require adding new flue piping. Size venting correctly to assure adequate draft for your stove model’s BTU output.
Maintaining Clearance from Combustibles
Adhere strictly to manual clearance guidance around any flammable materials. Typical distances span between 36 and 48 inches for walls and up to 60 inches for ceilings.
Obtaining Necessary Permits
Finally, acquire needed permitting from local building authorities before proceeding. Your professionals oversee this process, ensuring compliance with fire safety and emissions regulations.
Preparing for a Successful Conversion
With careful planning complete, it’s time to transform your boring gas fireplace. We’ll guide you through the critical steps for replacing your dated insert with an efficient, eye-catching wood stove.
Removing the existing gas insert is the first step, providing an open canvas. Cap off the old gas line properly, and convert this supply to a log-lighting pilot system if desired. Finally, widen and reline the firebox to meet stove sizing needs before completing the new appliance installation.
Removing Old Gas Insert
Take out the gas piping and burner system fully, properly capping any open gas lines. Consider an upgrade converting lines to a log-match pilot ignition, lighting fires quickly.
Capping Off Gas Line
Ensure discontinued gas lines get sealed using proper fittings by your contractor. Check for compliance with all local building codes.
Modifying Flue or Adding Insert
Installing the stove may require running new flue piping through the existing chimney. Alternatively, lining the firebox offers needed draft consistency for optimal burn efficiency.
Finishing Touches After Installation
Once your stunning new wood stove becomes the living room’s dazzling focal point, putting on the final touches makes it fully functional. Optional steps like adding facade trim lend extra elegance, while necessities like fire tools and wood storage make it more user-friendly.
Trimming out the unit with custom surrounds adds decorative charm. Set up a storage area for properly seasoned logs. Lastly, incorporate handy fireplace accessories like pokers, brushes and tongs for safety and convenience.
Adding Decorative Facade Trim
Consider applying custom metal or masonry facade trim matching your decor, concealing utilitarian vents or pipes for a streamlined look.
Setting Up Proper Wood Storage
Establish an adjacent covered wood stacking area outdoors. This keeps living spaces clean while shielding fuel from snow and rain.
Accessorizing with Fireplace Tools
Keep fireplace pokers, ash rakes, brushes and tongs stored safely nearby. Use these for properly tending and troubleshooting fires.
Responsible Wood Stove Ownership
Your dazzling new hearth delivers eco-friendly ambiance, but only proper usage maintains efficiency and safety long-term. Follow guidelines for seasonal maintenance, use cured hardwoods only and learn correct burning techniques to benefit from worry-free operation.
Practice conscientious operation and upkeep year-round so your hearth works dependably for decades. Burn sustainable woods like oak or maple cured at least six months for cleanliness, safety and optimal performance.
Following Correct Operation Procedures
Refer often to your owner’s manual, following instructions explicitly regarding lighting, refueling and troubleshooting techniques.
Practicing Proper Maintenance
Establish seasonal maintenance routines for replacing stove gaskets and chimney sweeping to keep systems working properly.
Burning Clean, Sustainably-Sourced Wood
Fire only untreated, fully seasoned hardwood fuels to minimize creosote and particle emissions for environmentally-responsible enjoyment.
Bask in the welcoming warmth emanating from your reinvented focal point. Entertain friends and family by the fire’s entrancing flicker. Most rewarding, realize substantial savings from displacing costly gas heating bills.
Lounge comfortably admiring mesmerizing flames, confident your efficient stove circulates heat evenly. Host gatherings inside your updated, protected living space showcasing rustic beauty.
| Cozying Up Next to the Warmth | Enjoy newfound comfort and ambiance afforded by rolling fire and radiant heat bathing the room. |
| Entertaining Guests with Charm | Delight visitors with a gorgeously inviting, emissions-controlled fire for intimate gatherings. |
| Saving Money Over Gas Heating | Slash energy costs running your self-contained stove with inexpensive bulk firewood over propane or natural gas. |
Give stale living rooms fresh allure with a converted wood-burning fireplace makeover. Follow our guide for enhancing aesthetics, comfort and savings using existing masonry in an eco-friendly, responsible way.
