Hi,
I grew up as a kid with open fireplaces and have had one in my house for the last 18 years. I use it maybe once every week or so between December and March. My wife is a lung cancer survivor so she always goes upstairs and stays away from it. Over the last few months, I have read a bit about how bad open fireplaces are in terms of particulate matter and indoor air quality. There is nothing I love more than a glass of wine and a nice fire, but given my wife's situation and getting a little bit older myself, I starting to think about some other options. What are some good options for me? It's a zero-clearance fireplace. I am much more interested in ambience than heat. It is in a small room that tends to get too hot anyway. Are there some good artificial logs that are much cleaner burning than wood? Perhaps while simultaneously running a HEPA air purifier? Would I be better off switching to propane or even a direct vent gas fireplace? I went to a fireplace store a couple of months ago and was shocked at how good some of these newer gas fireplace flames look. Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks! The one thing I am sure of is that living with no fireplace at all is not an option.
I grew up as a kid with open fireplaces and have had one in my house for the last 18 years. I use it maybe once every week or so between December and March. My wife is a lung cancer survivor so she always goes upstairs and stays away from it. Over the last few months, I have read a bit about how bad open fireplaces are in terms of particulate matter and indoor air quality. There is nothing I love more than a glass of wine and a nice fire, but given my wife's situation and getting a little bit older myself, I starting to think about some other options. What are some good options for me? It's a zero-clearance fireplace. I am much more interested in ambience than heat. It is in a small room that tends to get too hot anyway. Are there some good artificial logs that are much cleaner burning than wood? Perhaps while simultaneously running a HEPA air purifier? Would I be better off switching to propane or even a direct vent gas fireplace? I went to a fireplace store a couple of months ago and was shocked at how good some of these newer gas fireplace flames look. Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks! The one thing I am sure of is that living with no fireplace at all is not an option.
