Insert that can do gas and wood?

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jeffatus

Member
Dec 2, 2005
24
Southeast Michigan
We recently moved into a house that has a traditional fireplace. It also has venting from the outside to the bottom of the fireplace, right underneath the logs as well as a cleanout....pretty neat actually, I wouldn't have to bring ashes through the house. It also has a gas line so I am able to have a gas fire, wood, or both. The problem is that it is very inefficient and it does not heat the room very well.

I have had a high efficiency wood stove as well as a gas fireplace insert in another house. The things I like about both:

Wood stove - got really hot, loved the fires, very nice looking, loved burning wood, etc.

Gas stove - flip a switch, hot as well (though not wood stove hot), didn't have to clean up like I did with a wood stove

Is there such a thing as a good insert that will alow me to use gas and wood? I like the idea of starting with gas, getting it hot (which also helps with getting a good flow up the chimney), and then still being able to use wood.

Thanks for your help
jeff
 
I can't recall seeing such and animal. You'd do better with a quality, all gas or all wood insert. Both will heat pretty efficiently.

With a good wood insert tied into a proper liner, the draft should be good from the start. Starting a fire with SuperCedars is child's play.
 
Don't even mention the Mountain of Love...
 
I agree, I would be better suited to a stove/insert made for said fuel. If I had a place to put another wood stove, I would just do a gas insert in the family room and then a wood stove elsewhere. I really, really love the whole process of starting a wood fire. I am in my own little world, and I feel a strange sense of accomplishment for doing something so simple. The flip side is that my wife never once started a fire in the wood stove when we had it. She would admit that the wood fire is nicer, but still never once went to the trouble. I was thinking if it was easy to just throw in the wood and flip the switch to get it going, then all party's would be happy.
 
DanCorcoran said:
Don't even mention the Mountain of Love...

:lol:
 
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