- Nov 27, 2012
- 0
Question:
I'm a home inspector in southern Cal.and I wonder if there are some guide lines for burning wood in manufactured fire places that have gas logs. I know it depends on the model etc. but I'm running into it a lot.
Answer:
Well, it depends....If a wood fireplace has been converted to burn gas logs, then wood should probably not ever be burned in it....at least until the entire gas log assembly and piping have been removed.If the fireplace was built for gas in the first place, then wood should never be used. You can usually tell this by the chimney type and size. Anything smaller than 7-8" round probably was never made to burn wood. There are some homes that have wood fireplaces with gas starters. In this case, the starter is made to light the wood and then it is turned off. These are NOT gas logs nor are they designed to be used as such. I personally don't like these devices - mixing gas and wood in the same fireplace does not appear safe to me.
I'm a home inspector in southern Cal.and I wonder if there are some guide lines for burning wood in manufactured fire places that have gas logs. I know it depends on the model etc. but I'm running into it a lot.
Answer:
Well, it depends....If a wood fireplace has been converted to burn gas logs, then wood should probably not ever be burned in it....at least until the entire gas log assembly and piping have been removed.If the fireplace was built for gas in the first place, then wood should never be used. You can usually tell this by the chimney type and size. Anything smaller than 7-8" round probably was never made to burn wood. There are some homes that have wood fireplaces with gas starters. In this case, the starter is made to light the wood and then it is turned off. These are NOT gas logs nor are they designed to be used as such. I personally don't like these devices - mixing gas and wood in the same fireplace does not appear safe to me.
