We've lived in this house for 20 years. The entire east wall of our living room is a native stone fireplace. We've used this every year so far, but only as a supplement to our Natural gas furnace (didn't leave a fire going when we went to work). If it turns REALLY cold, and we DON'T use the fireplace, the rocks radiate cold into the room, so we almost have to have a fire in the worst of winter.
My health has gone to the dogs, and I can hardly cut wood anymore. I'm ready to convert to a gas fireplace. I'm disabled, so funding is at an all time low too. I want to install it in such a way that it could be reversed & converted to a log lighter, in case we sell the house later on.
I've researched enough to realize I'd probably be better off with a gas insert, but I doubt I can afford one. I've compared the vent free & vented gas logs, and the vent free looks like the most economical way to go. Don't know if we can stand the smell.
Since I'm instaling it in a fully functional fireplace, could I leave the damper open, & leave a SMALL opening at the top of the flue, making it a BARELY vented log? Wouldn't that carry the worst of the smells, moisture & unburned gas products up & out, while keeping the rocks around my firebox warm? It's not like we're depending on it as a sole source of heat, it's just something to keep the rock from getting so chilled (and us when we get by it).
So, I seek advice, warnings...I'll even accept snide remarks at this point!
Thanks!
My health has gone to the dogs, and I can hardly cut wood anymore. I'm ready to convert to a gas fireplace. I'm disabled, so funding is at an all time low too. I want to install it in such a way that it could be reversed & converted to a log lighter, in case we sell the house later on.
I've researched enough to realize I'd probably be better off with a gas insert, but I doubt I can afford one. I've compared the vent free & vented gas logs, and the vent free looks like the most economical way to go. Don't know if we can stand the smell.
Since I'm instaling it in a fully functional fireplace, could I leave the damper open, & leave a SMALL opening at the top of the flue, making it a BARELY vented log? Wouldn't that carry the worst of the smells, moisture & unburned gas products up & out, while keeping the rocks around my firebox warm? It's not like we're depending on it as a sole source of heat, it's just something to keep the rock from getting so chilled (and us when we get by it).
So, I seek advice, warnings...I'll even accept snide remarks at this point!
Thanks!