Installing a high efficiency gas fireplace is a great way to add supplemental heat and an attractive aesthetic feature to your home. Vented gas fireplaces can operate up to 90% efficient, meaning for every dollar of gas you buy 90% of it will end up as heat in your home. Vented gas fireplaces use 100% outside air for burning. This preserves room air quality and maximizes efficiency.
Gas fireplaces offer many great options. You can control them in a couple of ways. One you can turn on a switch located on the fireplace (typically behind the decorative trim panel), second you can hook them up to a thermostat and lastly you can use a remote control.
Gas fireplaces work well with all types of mantels. You can buy pre-fabricated ones or you can build your own custom mantel. See my previous posts on building a custom mantel to see how I built the mantel shown in the photo.
The model we chose for our new home was the Mendota DXV-45. We spent quite a bit of time visiting fireplace showrooms and the Mendota fireplaces seemed to have the most realistic gas log. This particular model looks very realistic when it is turned on. The Mendota "Deep Timber" log fire uses hand crafted logs and some type of metal "wool" type material that creates burning ambers. You've really got to see it to understand how realistic it can be.
The other benefit of having a fireplace like this in your home is using it as backup heat when the power is out. Once the pilot light is ignited these fireplaces can be turned on even when the power is out. This model also features a built in fan unit that helps push heat out into the living space. I like the fan because it really does produce plenty of heat in the room while not being so loud that it's obnoxious.
Tags: home improvement, home improvement blog, gas fireplace, gas log, fireplace mantel
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