Submitted by ThrowRASalt_Bit_2781 t3_zzr735 in newjersey
Hey guys ! I just moved to Jersey and I purchased a house with a wood fireplace. Unknown when used and if it’s safe or not to use. Was wondering if anyones ever converted to gas and how much it is around? Who did you use? Also any other tips and stories of this as I’m a new 26 year old women home owner now! Would be appreciated greatly! HAPPY NEW YEAR! :)
I was told as long as we don’t use it we didn’t have to. We don’t plan to use it so would it be okay to not do that just yet?
Depending on the age of the house/HVAC it could very well be used as the vent for your furnace. Cracks in the brick/motor joints may be leaking CO into your living space. Worth finding out where your furnace vents to. You could also have animals living in it if it hasn't been used in a while. But outside that, it's not dangerous if you don't light a fire.
If you are going to replace it with gas you should do that before you start to make sure it's clean and ready
Yes but this will be last on our list as a lot of our expenses right now is furniture. It ain’t cheap 😂
I get that take it at your own pace. You are posting on reddit about it so we are discussing the steps to have it installed. Whenever you save up enough money to have it done you can get started
We installed a gas fireplace in our home where there was no pre-existing fireplace. It was completed less than a month ago.
We went with Light My Fire in Fair Lawn, primarily because the other places we went to were slightly rude and didn't want to put in the effort with us to help us figure out what we needed to get done. They really showed no interest in dealing with us. Light My Fire was very patient with us and gave us several options. They came to our house and really helped us decide the best options. The final cost with them was about $7,000 for the gas insert and installation.
We decided to remove a window to place the fireplace in its spot. So we incurred some costs that you won't in terms of .having to purchase siding for the outside of the house and materials to close up the window hole.
Also, we had to build a frame for the fireplace. We had an electrician come in to give us a dedicated outlet (actually it was a whip). We have a neighbor who was able to do the window removal and siding and build the frame, and a friend who is an electrician, who did that work inexpensively.
Finally, the finishing work on the fireplace. All the work outside of the $7000 for Light My Fire cost about $5000. Most of that money went into the finishing work because we had friends do the other things.
I love our fireplace. I wish we had done it years ago. I highly recommend Light My Fire. The one glitch in the system is that it took forever for the actual gas insert to be shipped. We were given an initial date of late May and barely had it installed by Thanksgiving. The finishing work was done about a week later. So we literally JUST had this work done.
Oh okay thank you ! Yeah I messaged a few places and some say I need the gas line ran to the fireplace by a plumber and then they can come in for free estimate. Another said I need like a permit and a bunch other stuff before they are interested to help as there is a fireplace there already.
Light My Fire ran our gas line. I totally forgot about that! I'm sure that there are a couple of steps I have forgotten about. We also had some other work going on at the same time, so it's all blending for me. And, yes, you will definitely need permits.
Can’t help you with price since mine is over 20 years old but having it was a life saver during hurricane Sandy when we had no power and it got very cold. Mine will literally heat 3/4 of my house and very quickly too. I did use it during this last cold snap but one thing to consider is natural gas has skyrocketed so I am worried about the bill which I never did before. I used Bowdens in Hamilton which was great then and I still hear good things about them now. Good luck!
Yeah that’s what makes me want to just not do anything and maybe just do a redesign of the fireplaces look. It’s a very ugly one in the living room currently
It should have been included as part of the home inspection. Check that paperwork first but agree you should have a sweep take a look.
We didn’t have a home inspection on the fireplace. We did a regular inspection and a oil tank check.
Your home inspection report should tell you if it’s in good shape or not. I used to have my chimney cleaned biannually and it was only like $100. Chimney cleaners should be able to tell you if there are any issues.
The inspector said he doesn’t do a full inspection on the chimney but he looked at it in our living room. So his response was that if we don’t use it then don’t worry about another inspector now
I’ll echo what others said: there may have been a cursory fireplace / chimney report included with your home inspection if you had one. But a detailed inspection of the chimney is usually done by a specialist.
If it’s determined it’s in good working order I’d suggest living with it for a while and see how it effects the heat in your home. Running a wood-burning fireplace usually sucks heat OUT of the rest of your house, requiring your conventional heating system to work slightly harder. But some people like traditional wood-burning fireplaces.
For reference: we installed a gas fireplace on an empty wall about 5 years ago. It’s a slightly different process installing gas fireplace from scratch vs as a gas insert in a wood fireplace. But the same idea applies: buying a new appliance for your home that needs plumbing and electrical work to connect the unit. In my case I also needed venting, carpentry for a surround/enclosure, etc. I did all the work myself as part of a larger renovation.
Please note that if you choose to have an insert installed: I would suggest hiring a fireplace contractor. There are many fireplace showrooms that sell a variety of units, but they primarily make their money contracting out the work to install the units. They can help you from start to finish, including handling permits with your town.
If you’re in / near Monmouth County I bought my fireplace from East Coast Energy in West long Branch, NJ. They have a huge showroom with different options and were easy to work with (others ranged from indifferent / unhelpful to downright rude.)
FYI my fireplace components costs $3,500 in 2017 but got quotes well over $12k from various places for the full install. I can’t even imagine what they cost now with every thing getting more expensive in recent years. I was installed it myself - and it took a while - but I saved a lot that way. Not everyone is set up for that, but just know these places make money on contracting out the trades (electrical for starter, plumbing for gas line, etc.)
Good luck and welcome to NJ!
Yes I’m in the same county! Okay kool good to know I can see what my boyfriend thinks about installing it maybe in the future ourselves. Most the money I have to do anything going into furniture and things for the house. So this is something I’m looking to do eventually and trying to kind of get as much information as possible! Appreciate your help with everything.
Absolutely. If it’s not necessary right now, the gas fireplace insert is something to take your time with and form a plan. It’s easy to get ahead of yourself with owning a home. And I say that as someone with lots of half finished (big) projects around my house.
Shop around for the right fixture, shop around for contractors. Take your time, develop relationships. These electricians, plumbers, etc. can be people you can call on for emergencies and larger projects as they present themselves. You can also join local FB groups for recommendations for local contractors. Or ask neighbors.
If you plan to move forward with this: start with a more thorough inspection of the fireplace and chimney and go from there.
Then get an estimate for a plumber to run a gas line. But explain that you don’t have the appliance/fixture yet so it might be tricky to know where inside your fireplace needs to be installed. Every insert is different.
Like you said: I’d use the money you have to furnish the home, etc. There’s no rush to get a gas insert installed if your traditional heating system works. I would recommend you use that and see how this winter fares.
For the record: a lot of people that have wood-burning fireplaces never use them so I assume you have a traditional heating system works fine and can keep you warm during your first winter.
Good luck!
Friends installed a pellet insert into their fireplace. Pellets are very clean, efficient, and cheaper than gas. And I believe there is a blower that pushes heat into the home. This is a big advantage over a regular fireplace which loss a lot of heat up the chimney.
Growing up we had a wood burning fireplace, it did not do a good job of heating the house, often made it worst, unless you sat directly in front of it. I currently have a wood burning stove in my house and it is the best, it keeps the entire first floor hot if I have it cranking.
Definitely get a chimney sweep in there to clean it out before you do anything. Houses burn down because of poorly maintained chimneys. We have ours cleaned every two cords of wood we burn, which is usually every one or two years.
Would you think I’d need to do it anyways or only if I use it. Because we won’t be using it till we change it out anyways as most our funds are going into furniture and regular home things.
No need to clean it until you're ready to use it. During the winter chimney sweeps are usually more busy anyway. A good time to call them is in the summer. I pay about $150-$200 for the guy that does mine. Takes him about an hour and a half.
Who do you use ? For 150-200
Bazemore Chimney Sweep. Unfortunately as I was looking up his number for you, I found out he recently passed away.
Oh no that’s so sad :(
Open wood burning fireplaces are not meant to heat homes just FYI.
That being said, I love mine and decided not to go with an insert. There’s something magical about a big crackling fire in your living room that you won’t get with a stove or insert.
It’s messy at times for sure, but I adore it.
Yeah it is just less cost effective. And losing heat and putting more work on the regular heating system.
Next time you buy a house with a fireplace, get a special chimney inspection. You may have missed out on an opportunity to get it fixed or get the price lowered by the previous homeowner.
Yeah we should of for sure
Same thing happened with our house. Got quotes $10k to weather seal, replace cracked terracotta tiles etc.
Went with $300 and put in an electric fireplace. Worth it.
May need to be cleaned and lined prior to any future use. Professional certified inspector will make the correct recommendation and way forward. My fil put in gas logs with no other work or checks completed , creosote buildup in the fireplace from prior wood burning caught fire and had to call fire department to put out chimney fire
Oh and the home is located freehold/howell
Danitay t1_j2d8v5q wrote
Book a chimney sweep inspection first. That fireplace could be deadly.