Gas to wood, pics included

[Jbriss]

Did some searching before posting so if a similar post has been answered apologies in advance. Bought a house 2 years ago, had a gas fireplace that we never started and with 3 kids under 4 years, really didn't have the motivation. Now that we are settled, we miss our fires. Have had wood before and would prefer that. We are unable to get any manufacturer info from current setup other than it has a glassfyre front and maxitrol valve. What should we be looking for to determine whether the existing can be converted to wood? We've made the personal decision to convert, based on experience with both wood and gas in the past. The only variable we don't have experience in is the size of this room which is 15x25 with vaulted ceilings. Thanks in advance for your input.

JB

 

[DAKSY]

Call an expert, like a chimney sweep, or do a google search for an NFI Certified Hearth Professional to come to your home & inspect what you have.
The pics may or may not show a wood burning masonry fireplace, with a gas log installed as an afterthought. Only an on-site inspection can
verify what you have, what its condition is & whether or not it is safe to use.

 

[claydogg84]

The pictures seem to show a masonry fireplace that had the gas installed down the road. I'm not certain, but it appears that all you would need to do is remove all of the gas stuff and then have a sweep come inspect the tiles and damper. Should be a pretty cheap switch as long as the inside of your chimney is in good shape.

 

[potentialburner]

If it does turn out that it's a wood burning fireplace with gas logs installed later, when you take out the gas logs replace them with a gas fire starter. They are nice, no kindling or newspaper needed. Just put on the full sized logs, turn it on, and turn it off when the logs catch.

I went the other way, started with a woodburning fireplace with a gas fire starter, and installed gas logs later. I love my gas logs because I don't need a spark screen and I can just turn it off and not worry about it when it's time to leave or go to bed.

 

[Jbriss]

Thank you all very much for your input and advice. We will call a chimney sweep this week.