Flame and Comfort

Flame & Comfort Fireplace and Sofa Gallery
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We get a lot of recurring questions from the many customers who come to Flame and Comfort, so we thought we'd put together a small FAQ to help you feel more informed when you come to talk to us (or anyone) about fireplaces. Some customers aren't quite prepared for the complexities of installing a fireplace into their home, and when you come to Flame and Comfort, we prefer to dialogue with you rather than lecture you about what you want or need- we find this approach more effective. While this FAQ is not exhaustive, we hope you'll find some answers to questions you have, or at least some new questions!


Frequently Asked Questions:	1.Gas 2.Wood 3.Electric 4.Online Sales

1. Gas Fireplaces, Inserts, Logsets, and Stoves
		1.1. Is it possible to convert a gas fireplace to wood?
No. If you have a gas fireplace, and are pining for the smell and crackle of a wood fire, your existing gas fireplace must be removed, and an entirely new wood fireplace installed.
		1.2. I have a wood fireplace which was converted to gas. Can it be converted back to wood?
No. To convert a wood fireplace to gas requires drilling a hole through the wood fireplace to run gasline, which renders the firebox unsuitable for burning wood; this modification is irreversible.
		1.2. Is it possible to convert a Wood fireplace to Gas?
Yes. If you wish to rid yourslef of the mess and cold drafts often consequential of wood fireplaces, there are a few options available to you. Gas logsets are simple- ceramic logs, a gas burner with valve, and some rocks or sand, that can be installed into a wood fireplace. They won't improve the efficiency of your wood fireplace (they aren't airtight), nor will they solve drafting problems; they will provide a nice large gas fire, don't create ashes or need to be stoked, and are an inexpensive alternative to gas inserts. A gas logset does not need its own venting system - it vents out the existing wood chimney - so any drafting problems you have will not be solved by installing a gas logset. We do not recommend installing a gas logset into your basement, due to potential for backdraft. Gas Inserts (not to be confused with Gas Fireplaces) are the most popular means of converting a wood fireplace to gas, and for good reasons. They are airtight, extremely efficient (ours are in the 75-85% range) and provide a beautiful vented fire. To install an insert, we run two 3 inch stainless steel liners (they look like dryer vent) up your existing chimney. One of these liners channels outside air into the firebox for combustion, and the other channels exhaust combustion gases (mostly carbon dioxide and water, but also carbon monoxide and other less benign bi-products) out of the house. A gas insert will reduce drafting problems. If an insert won't fit into your fireplace, and a gas logset is undesirable, you may choose to remove your existing wood fireplace and install an entirely new gas fireplace. This is an intensive process, and often requires cutting through the finishing material surrounding the firplace (ex. tile stone, etc.), however may be a suitable option if you're also considering re-finishing your fireplace.
		1.3 What does Zero Clearance mean?
Zero Clearance refers to the clearance required between a a fireplace and a combustible material, such as wood, carpeting, drywall, etc. A zero clearance fireplace need very little clearance, but the term Zero clearance is a slight misnomer. A Gas fireplace may be placed directly onto a combustible surface, and tHus is truly zero clearance at the bottom, however there is a minimal clearance required from other surfaces of the fireplace. Most gas fireplaces require about 1/2" clearance to combustibles from the sides and top, which means that you can only finish the drywall up to 1/2" away from the fireplace, leaving a gap on the sides and top. Non-combustible finishing material, such as ceramic tile or stone, may be finished directly onto the front of the fireplace, covering the gap between the fireplace and drywall. A manual should always be consulted regarding clearances, and most fireplace manuals are available for download from the manufacturers website.
		1.4 Is a gas fireplace expensive to run?
The cost of running a gas fireplace varies with the cost of gas. Fireplace energy consumption is measured in BTU/hr. A BTU is a unit of energy like a Calorie of Joule. (In fact 1 BTU is equivalent to about 1/4 Calorie) One cubic metre of gas contains 35,301 BTU's. So a fireplace which runs at 20,000 BTU/hour consumes 20,000/35,301 = 0.57 cubic metres of gas /hour. As of March 11, 2008, natural gas cost in Winnipeg is $0.2731/cubic metre. Thus to run a 20,000 BTU fireplace for 1 hour cost is calculated as: 0.57 cubic metres/hr X $0.2731 dollars/cubic metre = $0.16 /hr
2.Woodstoves, Wood Fireplaces, and Wood Inserts
		2.1 Is heating my home with a woodstove environmentally friendly?
Yes, if you use a high efficiency wood burning stove. Woodstove technology has evolved much in the past 20 years. Older, non-Environmental Protection Agency Certified stoves have a bad reputation for being dirty and inefficient, and they are! They don't use much of the energy that is stored in wood, and therefore emit up to 90 gr/hr of particulate matter (smoke), lowering air quality and wasting the energy stored in wood. Newer EPA certified woodstoves, such as Pacific Energy woodstoves, emit only 3.4 gm/hr or less, using almost all of the usable energy stored in wood, and exhausting gases so clean that you won't see them leave your chimney. Modern woodstoves achieve this in a clever but simple fashion. Older woodstoves exhaust much of the energy stored in wood as smoke, which you can see exiting many older chimneys (The same is true for old fireplaces, please see our section on high-efficient fireplaces for more information). Newer woodstoves use simple chemistry and thermodynamics to force a clean and full burn. Instead of a flue/chimney damper, there is a fresh air damper, which allows you to choke the fire, so that little oxygen is available. By controlling available oxygen you can ensure a more complete combustion. In addition, a stainless steel baffle which creates the roof of the firebox, anf a ceramic insulating blanket above the baffle, force exiting smoketo travel through perforations in the steel, which itself becomes hot enough to burn the smoke which passes through it. Thus the smoke itself is re-burned releasing much of the wood's initial energy that would have been released into the atmosphere by an older stove. Wood, unlike natural gas, coal, or oil, is a renewable and sustainable fuel source. Burning wood speeds up the natural decomposition process by which wood converts to carbon dioxide, and so has little net effect on atmospheric greenhouse gas concentration.

		4. Online Sales
There are a number of things you should consider before deciding to buy a fireplace online. Your home has unique installation, venting and heating requirements that only an authorized dealer can determine. Home owners expose themselves to hidden costs, poor appliance operation and risk of damage and fire by purchasing fireplaces on-line and using inexperienced installers. On-line dealers rarely offer technical support or service for the products they sell. They will try to deflect you to the manufacturer for technical support or warranty work, and be assured, the manufacturer will want to know which dealer you purchased your fireplace from. Many manufacturers will not register, authorize service, or honor the warranty of a product that has been purchased outside of their trained dealer base, as installation and use cannot be determined, and local dealers will not service a fireplace they did not sell, again because they are unwilling to assume responsibility for the original installation. We are not trying to scare you into buying a fireplace at a dealer, rather want you to be aware that fireplace operation and installation is not as simple as plugging in a TV. Every installation offers unique challenges, and must meet strict codes. Gas fireplaces must be inspected by Manitoba Hydro before they may be run, and Insurance companies will often want a woodstove to be WETT certified. Buying from a dealer means buying with insurance - a guarantee that all parts will come with your fireplace, that the warranty will be honoured, that the installation will pass all local building codes, and that there will be a compnay to service your fireplace in ten years when it needs a thermocouple or some other component replaced.