Silly questions about gas stoves.

[annette.holbrook]

Thanks to the input of the people on this forum I've been guided to a gas stove instead of wood burning for our carriage house loft apartment.
We have a large open room above a detached 2 car garage. We are doing a minor remodel and will add a stove. This space will have a few functions; a guest space for visiting friends, a hangout space for our grown kids, nieces and nephews during holidays(all college aged and older) and a rental unit for vacationers to the area. Plus my husband and I will probably have to live in the unit for a while during renovations on main house.
For safety and ease of use a gas, direct vent unit makes sense.
So here are my questions to start.
Can you leave the doors open when the fire is going? I just like the feel of the actual fire for some reason, this is more for me than anyone else.
Can you put one of those kettles on it to produce steam and humidity?
Does the gas log fire feel real, does it make any sound?
I have an appointment next week at a showroom but don't want to just trust the salesperson as they really will just tell you what you want to hear in order to make a sale.
Thanks!


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[Ashful]

On the one I had (Mendota 40), the glass was fixed, you could not open it. Never looked at others, but I can say you WILL feel the fire thru that glass! It radiates like hell, I think I could have probably gotten a sun tan, sitting in front of that stove.

Check out the Jotul free standees. Among the most beautiful gas stoves made, IMO.

 

[danimal1968]

Thanks to the input of the people on this forum I've been guided to a gas stove instead of wood burning for our carriage house loft apartment.
We have a large open room above a detached 2 car garage. We are doing a minor remodel and will add a stove. This space will have a few functions; a guest space for visiting friends, a hangout space for our grown kids, nieces and nephews during holidays(all college aged and older) and a rental unit for vacationers to the area. Plus my husband and I will probably have to live in the unit for a while during renovations on main house.
For safety and ease of use a gas, direct vent unit makes sense.
So here are my questions to start.
Can you leave the doors open when the fire is going? I just like the feel of the actual fire for some reason, this is more for me than anyone else.
Can you put one of those kettles on it to produce steam and humidity?
Does the gas log fire feel real, does it make any sound?
I have an appointment next week at a showroom but don't want to just trust the salesperson as they really will just tell you what you want to hear in order to make a sale.
Thanks!


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when you say remove the doors, do you mean decorative doors, or do you mean remove the glass? You can't remove the glass because then it would no longer be a direct vented stove. If you remove the glass it will for sure pull air for the fire from the room rather than in from the outside which means you'll be pulling in and burning dust, pet hair, people hair and lord knows what else. Even worse, you run a significant risk of getting CO out into the room. With the glass in place, no big deal - the CO goes up the flue, and fresh air comes in from the outside to replace it. Without it in place you're putting your family in danger (you should have a CO detector in the room in any event just to be safe. A good combination CO/NG detector is about $30 on Amazon). So don't even think about running it without the glass in place. As has been posted, the heat will come through. In fact that glass will get dangerously hot - to the point where safety screens are now a mandatory item.

Gas fires are normally quite quiet. If you like pops and crackles you'll need wood, with all of its hassles.

 

[annette.holbrook]

I didn't say to remove the doors I said to leave them open. The one thing I like about my fireplace is that it's not behind glass. Just an aesthetic thing I guess. But I guess with fake logs it wouldn't be the same anyway. I have an appointment at a stove place so I'm sure I will find something that will work.


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[danimal1968]

I didn't say to remove the doors I said to leave them open. The one thing I like about my fireplace is that it's not behind glass. Just an aesthetic thing I guess. But I guess with fake logs it wouldn't be the same anyway. I have an appointment at a stove place so I'm sure I will find something that will work.


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In that case, yes, some models come with doors you can open for effect. Here's one example.

 

[robatnorfolk]

There are fire cracklers that you can purchase that make the sound of a fire. RH Peterson has some

 

[DAKSY]

Unless they've started making a better product in he last couple of years,
I think those "cracklers" sound like a very scratched phonograph record.
Yeah, I'm old...

 

[WoodyIsGoody]

Does the gas log fire feel real, does it make any sound?

Yes, it will seem like a real gas log fire because that's what it is. If you mean does it feel like a real wood log fire, no, I've never seen a gas fire that could do that. As to sound, I believe you can get recorded fire sounds that play when the stove is on but it won't be convincing because the sound is not synchronized with the fire.

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Want me to show you how to get rid of that useless clutter?

 

[Ashful]

Yes, it will seem like a real gas log fire because that's what it is. If you mean does it feel like a real wood log fire, no, I've never seen a gas fire that could do that. As to sound, I believe you can get recorded fire sounds that play when the stove is on but it won't be convincing because the sound is not synchronized with the fire.

On the gas fireplaces I've had, you can actually hear the gas hissing. They can feel nice, not quite the same as wood, but nice anyway. However, they do lack sound and smell, two of the senses some of us still enjoy.

 

[Mainely Saws]

I have Lopi Berkshire that I like but one thing that I had to get used to because the stove is controlled by a thermostat, is the fact that just as things got warm and comfortable the stove would kick off and of course the flame would go out ..............