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[Coastalcarolina]

I was reading a recent topic on candle safety.  For those of you who have a wood burning fireplace, are you afraid of them?  I know that sounds silly, but a candle can be extinguished in seconds, a fire has to burn itself out.

When we bought our house years ago, I wanted one.  But my husband had gas logs installed instead.  Said he didn't want the house smelling like residual smoke.  Now many years later, had those removed and have an electric log insert that has a heating unit.  It's pretty, safe,  and does the trick.

Do you have a real fire in the fall/winter months?  Inquiring minds want to know😊

[mspatmac]

@Coastalcarolina 

I've had wood burning fireplace's in two of my homes and used them all the time.  When I moved for the last time it was just me and while it was wood burning it had a gas as the starter.  I couldn't handle the wood deliveries, stacking it and carrying it in so I had the gas logs installed.

While it's easy to use, and I use it to take the chill off the family room.  I still miss a wood fire, the smell and the crackling.  I was never afraid of it.  

[haddon9]

We have a wood burning fireplace in the family room.  When we first moved to here 30 years ago and the house was new we would make a several fires every winter....usually over the holidays. 

It became a lot of work and we would have to  make sure the fire would burn down before we would go to bed.  Too much work, too messy and then there is the issue of hiring a chimney sweep to clean it out.

So for several years now we have an electric insert like you....it's not the same as a real fire but I like it well enough and adds some atmosphere and warmth to the room.

[RedTop]

Never been a fan of a fireplace.  We have a free standing wood burning stove in the basement as a back up heating source.  

[Chessa35]

We have a wood burning fireplace . There are glass doors that close . There is also a blower unit ; so the heat comes into the room and not all up the chimney. We don't seem to get smoke or a smell in the room .

  There is a log you you can burn at the beginning of the season to remove the creosote from the inside of the chimney.(Usually, a fire could happen because of that build up.) once a year we do a chimney sweep . I feel any maintenance is well worth it . 
  Sure , gas is easier to maintain; but it's Gas .  The possibility of gas exploding bother me much more . People love them though . Pros and cons on both .

[Sooner]

We had two fireplaces in our last house and converted them to gas. Wood was a pain.  I will say the one in the kitchen and eating area was fun on a cold cold snowy day or when you had company.  

We have three gas fireplaces here and they are used some, but not a big deal with us. 

[jlkz]

In our great room we set up the circular glass wood burning fireplace in the Fall and take it out in the Spring.

Last year I told DH no more fireplace because I can no longer kneel down to tend to the fire.  It has become a safety issue because should a piece of wood tumble and roll around ( in or out of the fireplace ), I can no longer handle it.

We both loved that fireplace: a good sized fire would burn for about 30 minutes while we had dinner along side it.

When we added the master suite about 20 years ago, we had a vented gas fireplace put in.  The room got so hot that after 10 minutes we turned it off.  It was a waste of $ and space. Since it has a blower installed that uses electricity, it is useless during a power outage.

[50Mickey]

Over the course of owning 4 homes we have had all three of these at different time. While I love a wood buring fireplace it is messy. We have a gas log insert in our current home. I get up in the morning and when it is cold I turn it on with the flick of a switch. It heats up the kitchn and the family room very quickly. 

[Coastalcarolina]

I think when I was younger, I was all caught up in the romantic notion of sitting by the fire with your significant other and enjoying each other's company.  Haha, my husband is more into watching football than staring at a roaring fire.  I was soo naive 🙄.

It took me a long time to realize the dangers and nuisances weren't worth it.  Plus, I live in NC.  It doesn't get as cold or stay as cold as other places.

[Desert Lily]

I've had wood burning, gas, & gas starter fireplaces. I didn't want a fireplace in my new house, so I don'thave one. When I lived in NY, the fireplace was drafty & I put a cover over it. Although mantels are beautiful, I'd rather have a free-standing room heater that I can move around or easily get rid of.

When I was growing up, we had a fireplace that took up the whole wall in the family room. It had different ways to cook on it, & every week my dad made steak and popcorn. But, it was also alot of work.