Thinking of changing from wood to gas fireplace...maybe

[T.LaVergne]

I am 65 and have been heating with wood my whole life. I have an old Buckmate fireplace insert. I love burning wood but am getting tired of cutting wood, ash, dirt, etc. The thought of pushing a button and having a warm fire is starting to sound good. However I read of mechanical problems with gas units. The only thing to break on my Buckmate is the blower and I have never had a problem with it in 20 years. Anybody else made the switch from wood to gas? If so I would appreciate some insight. On the fence...
Thanks,
TL

 

[DAKSY]

I made the switch from wood to gas at 51.
Had a Regency I3100L & burned on average 7 cords a season.
Although the heat is not that of wood, I don't regret doing it.
The gas insert is now 18 years old & I have changed exactly ONE thermocouple in it.
If you are worried about mechanical issues, the only thing in them is the blower.
I'm a fan of standing pilot units, but they are getting harder & harder to come by.
The electronic units are more energy efficient, but that efficiency means there
are more components that can fail.

 

[T.LaVergne]

Thanks...appreciate your thoughts.

 

[clancey]

I look at it a different way than you do and I am 75 and just bought a little wood stove to put in my (to be finished back porch) just for a emergency use just in case with this "crazy world activity" to feel secure in case "everything" goes to a loss of power. I can keep warm and have a cup of coffee in my own home if something happened in the wintertime. I am a worry wort too. lol.. At your age those gas inserts would be a lot easier for you and they have thermostats and keep the temperature right where you want it to be..Yes I would get one but also think about a future "black out" possibility and have some other thing lined up even a small stove that you could burn wood in if you felt like it just down size but be good to yourself too. clancey

 

[T.LaVergne]

I have thought about that as well since the oil embargo in the 70's. My woodburner is a fireplace insert and without the fan running it won't throw any heat out. The fan also keeps the woodburner from overheating by pulling heat away from it. So I have a generator and always keep 20 gallons of fuel stored to get me by for a week or more (plus what I could siphon out of the cars). I guess I just have to have faith that my natural gas line would not go down with the power. I guess I put the most faith in my generator to keep things going if they are down for a week or so. I also have a camper to retreat to that uses very little resources to keep running indefinitely. Appreciate the view point.