Affordable Fireplace at Your House, Let’s Try! (5)

Date: 2011.11.10 | Category: Home Decoration, Home Improvement, House & Home | Tags: electric fireplaces,fireplace,vent-free

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Wariness about vent-free appliances persists, and the units are banned in some states. Even if vent-free gas inserts and logs are permitted by the state, municipalities usually have the last word on whether they can be installed. Both nonvented and vented heating appliances must be properly maintained to reduce the risk for associated health hazards, according to the Department of Health and Human Services (http://www.dhhs.gov).

In the addition he built onto his suburban house, Burke installed a zero-clearance wood-burning fireplace in his new 40-foot-long living room. It doesn’t require a masonry chimney. Instead, it has a double-wall flue, with one taking warm air from the fireplace outside and the other bringing cool air from the outside in.

Tile is used inside and around the fireplace to prevent sparks from flying all over the place. The zero-clearance fireplace cost him about $1,000 and took a day to install. If you paid someone to install it for you, it would cost $1,500 to $2,000.

Electric fireplaces are making some inroads into the market, although the amount of radiant heat that plug-in fireplaces provide still remains well below the 15,000 to 40,000 BTUs that gas fireplaces generate. The typical cost of a standard gas fireplace is $600 to $3,000, without installation. Electric fireplaces run about $1,200 to $1,500, but usually generate enough heat to take the edge off one or two rooms. And they don’t need venting.