What type of fireplace can I use with my present setup?

[Prometheus10]

Hello all, I am new to Hearth and have come seeking advise. My wife and I purchased our first home a few months ago and we have gotten mostly setup but we are looking at this unfinished area in our basement and don't know what options are available for us. We presently have a older Montigo gas fireplace upstairs and an unfinished area with a fresh air intake and large chimney pipe that is covered. I guess the main question is which type of fireplace can we use with what is already there, Gas or wood? What do we need to do do to make a surround if we went to a gas insert? I am leaning that way as it has more pros then cons for us. Thanks for your insight.

 

[DAKSY]

Get yourself a DV gas fireplace. The only downside that I can see
is that you're gonna hafta blast thru the concrete wall to vent it,
unless you get one that can use a Class A chimney adapter kit...
That is, of course, assuming that the blocked off vent shown in
your pic IS Class A...
As far as an insert, you'll hafta build something to insert it into,
& the prices for inserts, themselves, tend to be higher than the costs
of DV fireplaces...PLUS the liner kit may not fit the existing vent...
You could also install a DV Gas Stove there & vent it thru the Class A
system. Looks like a big enough alcove & you won't need a mantel or
surround (stone/tile facing) to finish it off...

 

[Fsappo]

Same as above, I'd say. That blocked off flue looks like a class A system, and you can find direct vent fireplaces that can adapt to that kind of chimney...or, if not a direct vent system out the wall may work for you depending on where grade is outsite.

 

[jtp10181]

See if you can find any stickers on the pipe to verify its brand and model. Looks for a UL listing number also.

It looks like it should be a class A HT system in which case you could hook a wood stove directly up to it. The fresh air intake would also suggest this was setup for a wood stove. You could also hook up a pellet stove or insert to that pipe.

As other said, gas would be an option also. You would either need a fireplace or stove that can adapt to a liner kit and go through the class A pipe, or horizontal vent out the side wall if possible.

 

[Prometheus10]

Hey Thanks for all your input< i will look for any numbers on the pipe. As for a vent there is an aluminum pipe that you can see in one of the pics that it direct to the outside. Is it possible to trace the small gas line that is visible in one of the pics that runs to the upstairs gas fireplace and have it split to run to both the upstairs and downstairs fireplaces? It is the main gas line the enters the house at the other end of the house, it is a 1' pipe that feeds the furnace and then the hot water tank and then runs over the the fireplace area. Do I need to do any insulating to the walls in the alcove if I am putting an insert in? Anything special about framing for an insert? 2X4's ok? Concrete board? Thanks again


Also as for the pic of the chimney, the smaller pipe is for the upstairs gas fireplace, I assume that the larger one is a dual pipe for a wood fireplace? As the furnace stack is in the middle of the house on the roof.