Gas Fireplaces/Gas Logs

Natural Gas Fireplaces and Gas Log Sets can bring warmth and beauty right into your home. At Friedman Plumbing, we have been installing these units into our customers homes with many years of warm enjoyment.

Today’s hearth products are vented in three ways: natural draft, direct vent and vent-free.

• Natural Gas Vented – These appliances rely on the natural tendency of warm gases to rise through a vent. This venting allows removal of flue gases through the roof by using a relined masonry or metal chimney, or with a newly installed “B-vent.” It is important to note that relining an existing masonry chimney is required for proper draft and to prevent condensation, which can be detrimental to the chimney.
• Direct Vent – These units can be vented horizontally or vertically and therefore do not require a conventional chimney. This provides quite a bit of flexibility for placing these units. Outside air needed for combustion is drawn in and flue gases are vented to the outside using one pipe. The distance these units can be located from the exterior of the building is limited so this must taken into consideration.
• Vent Free – These appliances draw air from the inside of the home and are designed to burn so efficiently that there is no need for venting. 

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Natural Gas Log Sets

Natural gas log sets are the simplest and most popular natural gas hearth product. They provide the most realistic hearth fire and lowest initial equipment costs, but like wood fires, much of the heat is lost up the chimney, making these products primarily aesthetic ambiance.

Natural Gas Fireplace Inserts

Natural gas fireplace inserts are self-contained units for installation within an existing fireplace opening. They can provide more heat than natural gas log sets. An existing chimney can be used if an approved flue liner is installed. Vent-free inserts that do not require chimney or flue modification are also available.

Factory-Built Natural Gas Fireplaces

This product is ideal when there is no existing fireplace or where a traditional, conventional chimney is impractical. These types of units are available in a variety of styles, which provide flexibility for placing these units in various locations throughout the home.

Freestanding Natural Gas Stoves

These are self-contained units that resemble quaint, old world wood burning stoves. Natural gas stoves are available in both contemporary and traditional styles, in an array of colors. They can provide significant heat to a room or the entire house.

Vent-Free Natural Gas Hearth Products

Vent-free (or unvented) natural gas fireplaces, stoves or log sets are ideal for providing supplemental heat. These units cannot be installed in bedrooms, bathrooms or other confined spaces, and are only for occasional, attended and supplemental use. They are required to have an oxygen depletion sensor (ODS) for added safety. While no venting is necessary for these products, Washington Gas recommends that consumers strictly adhere to the manufacturer’s operating instructions.

Basic Fireplace Components

The logs are fashioned after actual wood logs using refractory or ceramic fiber. They are crafted to simulate the look of real wood and are available in a wide variety of wood types. Many are split and charred for added realism.

The gas burner module creates the flames in the fireplace. The technologies used to create the authentic looking flames are triumphs of engineering. Golden flames are made to dance and flicker among the logs by reducing the air entering the firebox and dispersing gas through a bed of sand or vermiculite.

Most units contain either a safety pilot system or electronic controls that prevent the main burner from operating if combustion cannot take place safely. Vent-free units contain an oxygen depletion sensor (ODS), which cuts off the unit if the oxygen level in the room drops below a safe level.

Natural Gas Fireplaces Can Be a Source of Heat

In addition to beautiful fires; some natural gas fireplace products can provide a substantial amount of heat. The amount of heat from your gas fireplace depends on the type of fireplace you purchase. For the aesthetic effect of a beautiful fire, choose a product certified as a “vented natural gas fireplace.” For heat as well as the ambiance, choose a “vented natural gas fireplace heater” or a “vent-free room heater”.