What Fireplace is Best for Your Home

What fireplace is best for your home. With so many options out there for fireplaces, choosing the best one for your home can be difficult. The three main options that are out there are wood-burning, electric, and gas fireplaces. There are a lot of differences between them and the best option will depend on your specific need.

With this in mind, below are the pros and cons of each option. After deciding on the best option for you, we’ll also go through the best way to get the ball rolling on a new fireplace in your home!

Wood-Burning

Wood-burning fireplaces are the most common option. As the name implies, the heat source from this fireplace comes from burning wood. Fireplaces and wood stoves offer a reliable source of energy and a big aesthetic value. 

Pros

• Reliable source of energy: Wood is a tried and true source of heat and energy. 
• Aesthetic value: These are the fireplaces of our childhoods a lot of times. A big fireplace with wood burning in it feels cozy.
• Potentially free fuel: Depending on your location and surroundings, there may be an abundance of wood already around you. This means that you would essentially be able to fuel your fireplace for free.

Cons

• Creosote: Fire lets off a toxic chemical known as creosote when it burns. As this cools in the chimney, it settles on the walls. This leaves a potential for fires or the blocking of your flue.
• Spacious: A fireplace takes up a lot of room. In addition to the hearth and firepit, it also requires a chimney for the smoke to escape.
• Upkeep: Wood-burning fireplaces require a lot of upkeep. These range from chimney inspections and sweeping to masonry and mortar repair. 

Electric

With an Electric fireplace, the flames are nonexistent. A screen will display a fire while the heater blows warmed air into your home. These will need to plug into an electric source

Pros

• Customizable: An electric fireplace allows the owner to customize the size and, often, type of fire displayed. These also provide the option for the fireplace to display without any heat coming out or vice versa.
• Safety: Since there’s no actual fire, these are a much safer option for families with children or pets. The glass displaying the fire will never actually get hot and there’s considerably less risk of fire.
• Easy to Install: An electric fireplace requires only a source of electricity to plug into. Homeowners can install these anywhere they should so desire.

Cons

• Not as powerful: An Electric fireplace will not produce as much heat as a gas or wood-burning one.
• Power Source: Plugin installation may seem like an easy method. Indeed it is if the power source is already there. If there is no power source where you would like the fireplace, homeowners will have to install one. This can be an expensive additional cost.
• Utility Cost: If you’re largely dependant on these for heat, the cost can rack up on the electric bill.

Gas

A gas fireplace tries to bring the ambiance of a wood-burning fireplace and clean it up. Using a propane or other natural gasses, these produce a flame which is the heat source. These often include fake logs to give a similar impression aesthetically.

Pros

• Easy to Start: A simple flip of the switch and your fire will be roaring. No more need for kindling.
• Cleaning: A gas oven is much easier to clean since it doesn’t case a chimney in soot like a wood-burning fireplace.
• Aesthetics: Aside from a wood-burning fireplace, it can’t get better looking than a gas-powered fireplace.

Cons

• Expensive: Gas fireplaces are more expensive to install than electric ones. Depending on your home setup (e.g. if you already have a chimney,) it may be more expensive than a wood-burning fireplace as well. After the initial installation, the costs to maintain aren’t very high.
• Venting: While a gas fireplace is flexible in its placement within homes, it still requires a vent for off-gasses. With a gas fireplace, this will be a simple PVC pipe through the wall as opposed to a big chimney, however. So it’s still quite versatile. 

Get Started

Now that you know more about which option is best for you, the next step is to get the process started. Whether you feel like you know which is best for you already or you still have questions, the team at Fire Mercantile is here to help.

Our dedicated team of professionals will meet with you, choose your custom design, and schedule your installation. We work on your timeline so as soon as you’re ready to commit to a design, we’ll be ready.

Contact us today by visiting us online. You may also reach us via e-mail at office@brickandember.com or by phone at (317)527-1250.

Whatever fireplace is best for you, we’ll be there to get it ready for you to enjoy!