Fired Up With Fireplaces Hotter Than Ever, There Are New Ways to Keep the Home Fires Burning

The fire had gone out in Ellen Lea's bedroom - but was about to burst into flame again.

She and her husband had replaced their wood-burning fireplace with a ventless system to heat up a perpetually cold room. But the room went from hot to cold whenever the fireplace was turned off, and the gas fumes left an odor.

So they recently replaced the ventless system with a gas fireplace insert with a thermostat, glass doors and a blower. The thermostat turns the fire on automatically whenever it gets too cold, and the glass doors keep out the fumes without having to open a damper.

"It's like a furnace," Lea said. "It works out really well."

Fireplaces are hot again. After several years of declining sales, the number of fireplace units sold has rebounded three years running.

Lea - who has three fireplaces in her home in St. Charles - represents an ongoing trend among homeowners: converting old wood- burning fireplaces to natural gas.

Gas fireplaces, logs, stoves and inserts accounted for two out of three fireplace sales nationally in 2005, the most recent year tabulated by the Hearth, Patio and Barbecue Association.

In general, trends show that people love the look of a traditional fireplace, but want to make it easier to use.

Fire remains an elemental symbol of nature and spirit, radiating feelings of home and comfort, and practical benefits of warmth and light. Going back to the days of cave dwellers, the fireplace may be the original home improvement.

Nowadays, a fireplace can define the main focal point of a home, and with new design possibilities created by direct vents, it can fit stealthily into any room.

Flame on!

In established suburbs, with homes 40 years old or more, many residents want to update the look and efficiency of their old brick fireplaces.

At Northwest Metalcraft in Arlington Heights, gas logs have been big sellers for years. Owner Dan Mayer said the logs are often the cheapest, easiest way to use a wood-burning fireplace without the work, smoke and mess of wood.

Before installation, a chimney service should clean and inspect the flue to make sure it's able to safety vent out the fumes.

Once the gas logs have been hooked up to a natural gas line, flip a switch or light the gas vents and you've got a steady, clean- burning fire. You can also turn off the flames immediately, without having to wait hours for the fire to burn out.

One important feature that has made gas fireplaces feasible for more homeowners is the direct vent fireplace.

Direct vents have a pipe that goes from the back of the fireplace straight out through the wall, avoiding the costly need to run a chimney through the roof or upper floors.

They also draw air to burn from the outside, and have glass doors that stay closed to keep the fumes from coming inside.

Twice as efficient as a wood-burning fireplace, a direct vent fireplace can heat a room up to 2,000 square feet. Costs generally run from $1,000 to $4,000, plus the cost of installation and the facade.

The ventless fireplace is another option for heat-it has no vent to send the fumes outside, so all the heat stays inside.

Of course, that means all the gases from the fire stay inside the home as well, which can lead to a buildup of carbon monoxide.

That's why some states have banned ventless fireplaces, and why such fireplaces are required by law to have sensors that shut them off when levels get too high.

The fumes also can add a slight odor to the air that bothers some people, and people with allergies or respiratory problems may want to avoid them.

A ventless fireplace can cost as little as $300 for a movable space heater that requires no installation to $2,000 for a unit in a cabinet or elaborate mantel.

Direct vent and ventless fireplaces eliminate the need for a chimney, which frees up the space above them for a new trend: flat- screen TVs mounted above the fireplace.

Electronics must be placed far enough above a mantel, which can block the heat from the fire.

The hottest accessory for gas and electric fireplaces is the remote control. It can light a fire, raise or lower it or put it out from across the room.

Masonry or pre-fab

For those considering a new fireplace, there are two types: masonry structures hand-built on site, or pre-fabricated fireboxes made out of metal.

Masonry fireplaces. of brick, stone or concrete, add visual and structural heft to any home. They require chimneys that can become a dominant element in the home, defining it in one stroke as traditional, contemporary or otherwise.

A custom-built masonry fireplace can run $10,000 and up -more if it needs a foundation.

Pre-fabricated fireplaces consist of metal boxes put inside existing masonry fireplaces to improve their efficiency or integrity, or they can be new fireplaces where masonry is too expensive or impractical.

Pre-fabs run from about $500 installed to several thousand dollars or more. Because the firebox itself is typically less expensive, more money can be put into the facade, for things like faux rock, a light concrete that can mimic many types of stone.

Builders now typically include a gas fireplace in new homes. Million-dollar home builders like Fassbinder Construction in Grayslake often include three fireplaces: a wood-burner in the living room, and gas fireplaces in the master bedroom and basement.

Alternatives

Another popular alternative is the electric fireplace, which has shown the steadiest sales increase in recent years.

Electric fireplaces have created a new market for fireplaces: first-time homeowners who don't have room or money for a traditional fireplace, but want the look and feel of one.

Electric fireplaces start at $199, are available in attractive wood veneer cabinets and offer plug-in-turn-on convenience. They also are safer for kids because they're cool to the touch.

The biggest jump in fireplace popularity has been in pellet or biomass stoves and inserts, which burn plant materials like sawdust, corn or other recycled materials.

If there's no room for a fireplace, a stove takes up less room, and heat radiates in all directions. For that reason, it's popular for turning a three-season room into a four-season room, or for adding warmth to a chilly basement.

Woodn't it be nice

Still, for some people, there's nothing like the look, feel and smell of a wood-burning fireplace.

While natural gas is the most popular choice, when its price doubled last winter, wood-burners also bounced back from several years of declines.

Don't expect to save much energy though - wood-burning fires can draw more heat out the chimney than what they put back into the room.

Glass-paneled doors help cut down on heat loss, especially when the fire is low or not in use. Grate heaters blow heat from the fire back into the room. Metal fireplace inserts, which can run from $1,000 to $2,000, let you keep burning wood, but enclose the fire to minimize heat loss.

Whatever type of fireplace you choose, for assurance of its safety, look for third-party certification by the American Gas Association or Underwriters Laboratories.

A fireplace can be a once-in-a-lifetime purchase and the center of attention in a home, so there's good motivation to get what you want.

It's also one of the single most visible changes a homeowner can make without the cost of a room remodeling, and real estate agents say it will boost a home's resale value.

As mason Sergy Shamshura, owner of E & S Bricklayers Inc. in Mundelein put it, "It's a luxury most homeowners can afford."

(c) 2007 Daily Herald; Arlington Heights, Ill.. Provided by ProQuest Information and Learning. All rights Reserved.