Another Log on the Fire

When the nights grow longer and the days cooler, you're not alone in craving the comfort of a roaring fire by which to read, sip hot cocoa or get into a romantic mood.

In fact, you've got lots of company and more coming. The Hearth Products Association counted nearly 1.7 million gas-, wood- and pellet-burning appliances shipped last year in the United States, where 44 percent of households have a fireplace.

While wood-burning units account for 44 percent of all fireplaces, gas now is outselling wood. Why? Dianne Cloud of Ponderosa Hearth and Home in Clovis, Calif., says the answers are easy: No ashes, no smoke, no cutting or buying wood, no hauling it in from outside and no dirt or sparks on your carpet.

But there still is fire--one that can warm your house. There's also a remote control that allows you to turn on the fire from your easy chair, switch the flame from high to low, and set a thermostat so it doesn't get too hot or cold. Aaaaaaaaaaaah.

"We're getting lazy," Cloud says. Some people "still seem to like the wood-burning fireplaces. Wood smells and sounds good when it's burning. There is a special feel to it that's hard to replace. And many people just like tending fires."

Rhonda and James Little do. They have a large, open fireplace in their Clovis home. "It's like the flames are dancing," says Rhonda Little. "They change colors. A fire is romantic. It's like having a warm blanket wrapped around your shoulders. Very comforting."

Kimberly and Dennis Quaglia, however, won't go back to burning wood after two years with their gas fireplace. "No more wood to buy," she says. "No more ashes to empty. No burn marks on the rug. It's wonderful." The Quaglias' gas fireplace sits in the center of their house and heats the home's 2,350 square feet.

But we're getting ahead of ourselves. First, let's go back to fireplace options.

Once, the only choices were the size of the flue and firebox (the area where the fire is built) and the type of material that decorates the outside of the fireplace (usually masonry, wood or tile).

In the '70s, options expanded to include fireplaces with electric blowers to heat the room and gas log fireplaces that provided little heat but were aesthetically pleasing.

In the late '70s, fireplaces with wood-burning inserts became popular, allowing people to heat most, if not all, of their house with wood. An insert is an efficient, prefabricated heating unit that is retrofitted into an existing fireplace. It burns wood, gas or wood pellets.

Pellet stoves debuted in the late '80s. A pellet stove is made of metal. The pellets are loaded into a hopper, and an automated feed system delivers the pellets into a chamber where they are burned, creating a mini furnace. A pellet stove needs to be near an electrical outlet because it uses electricity. Some units are sold with battery packs in case of power outages.

Gas fireplaces and gas-fireplace inserts came along in the '90s.

Debbie Kramer of Energy House, a store in Fresno, Calif., that sells fireplaces and fireplace equipment, says there's no right or wrong choice when selecting a fireplace. "It depends on the intended use and what the buyer has a preference for," she says.

When making a selection, consider budget, size of the fireplace, appearance, ease of operation, efficiency, heat output and structural limitations.

Bob Smith of Bob Smith Masonry has built fireplaces for 40 years. He says that while many people think fireplaces with inserts generally heat homes more efficiently, fireplaces without inserts also can do the job.

"If fireplaces are built correctly, they are energy-efficient and will heat homes without inserts," he says. "It takes some skill and someone who is experienced. You have to know how to form the throat to the flue liner so that the smoke escapes but that you retain the heat for your house. It's also important to use the right kind of wood. Hardwoods such as oak and fruitwood will create a hotter fire."

Smith, who has built thousands of fireplaces, cautions owners of prefabricated fireplaces not to build fires larger than the fireplace is built to handle. "It's dangerous and cause fires in the flue," he says."

Prefabricated fireplaces are becoming increasingly popular, Smith says. "I used to build 100 fireplaces a year and now I'm only doing about 20 because people are buying the prefabs."

But, he says, "people still like the look of stone, brick, marble and granite to dress up the faces of their fireplaces."

Paints that can withstand high temperatures are available in various colors, allowing people to customize their prefab units. And there are other options, such as steel, brass, nickel and chrome handles and glass doors that come in flush front, bay and curved styles.

(Distributed by Scripps Howard News Service.)