Convert A Wood Fireplace To Gas

Have a non functioning fireplace or a wood one that you never use?

Why not turn that rarely used asset into a feature you'll use every day and convert a wood fireplace to gas. Here's what it involves, what it costs and how it works. 


But this love was not my first.

The first was across the street.  Literally.

We'd moved there a year into our marriage.

We were young and just starting out and took all the money we could scramble together to buy the smallest house in the most charming beach neighborhood.

The house was so sweet and we absolutely adored it, DIYed it and lived in every inch of it, until we were literally bursting at the seams.

Enter our current cottage.


We'd looked for a long, long time and couldn't find anything we loved as much as our first charmer. We knew we wanted to stay in the neighborhood, but houses rarely came up for sale.

And homes that were on flat property in our hilly area, with room for a pool, were almost impossible to find. As a matter of fact, we'd made a list of the few yards we'd love have on our daily walks.

Built in the 1920's, with a flat yard and plenty of space, this one was number one on the list.

We never dreamed it would come up for sale and certainly not be in our price range, as the real estate market was on fire.

We also never dreamed that the inside would be as good as the outside.

So you can imagine our surprise when we walked in and were greeted by this gorgeous fireplace..


Our jaws dropped immediately.

Ok, so it didn't look like this back then, but even surrounded by the lime green shag carpet and cold white walls, we fell hard. The stone that met the beams, the rough opening, that traditional cottage style.

We didn't even have to look at the rest of the house, we were sold.

And so was the house. We signed on the dotted line that night.

We didn't even have an inspector come.

While I don't recommend this, my DIY guy could leave his day job to be a contractor tomorrow. He's that good.

Plus, we knew we were going to renovate, so as long as thought the structure and foundation was sound, we were good to go.

Unfortunately, that meant we didn't have anyone inspect the chimney. Couple that with the fact that my lungs and wood smoke don't get along at all, we never lit a fire. Not once in the first few years.

Then one day, while brainstorming ideas for our anniversary, I said, Why don't we forget a trip and gifts, and convert that fireplace to gas. Make it useful.

And he said, Ok.

The next day we went shopping for the log kit at the fireplace store, which by the way, I was shocked to find out existed.

I was also surprised at how many log set ups there were to choose from...goodness. We were there for hours.

There were many decisions to be made. We were putting in a vented burner system, but you could use them with natural gas or propane. There were also ventless options.

You could choose systems behind glass, ones for open fireplaces like our or totally enclosed ones, like those between rooms and styles for rustic, traditional or modern homes.

We ended up with a Real Fyre set up. We chose their Charred Split Oak logs.


And about a week later, we were sitting in the living room in front of a roaring fire that went on and off with the flick of a remote.

No smoke, no ashes, no wood to buy or chop, no waiting for it to light and more importantly, no waiting for the last embers to go out before we went to bed or left the house.

Fabulous.

Now, whenever I tell people this, or mention the fireplace in a post, they ask a ton of questions. So I decided it was high time to answer a few of them.

How Do You Convert A Wood Fireplace To Gas

Ok, so first things first, this is not a DIY job.

Yes, I suppose anything can be, but since it involves running a gas line and potentially permits from your village or town, I don't recommend it at all.

1. You need to call a pro.

We don't hire out a lot around here, but this is one job we didn't even discuss.

We went pro all the way, from shopping in a dedicated fireplace store, hiring a plumber to run the gas and a fireplace service tech to set it all up.

And it was money very well spent.

2. Choose A System and Enclosure

We chose a vented system since our fireplace was working and in good condition. However there are ventless systems. 

Also, we didn't want a glass enclosure, it didn't fit well with our style stone, and it would've been very expensive to have a custom one fitted. However, you may like that style and it is great for safety if you small kids or pets.

3. Evaluate The Cost

One of the biggest questions I get is about the price. Honestly, there are a ton of factors involved, but I think all in it cost us about $1500.

Of course, that was back in 2005. I believe the log system was about half of that. Installation may have been around $150 and plumber fee rounded out the rest.

4. Have The Chimney Inspected

We went with a vented system, so we had to make sure the chimney was clear and in good condition. We didn't want to have another issue with carbon monoxide. Once was enough thank you very much.

So when we had our heating system converted from oil to gas, we had the chimney inspected, as well. 

5. Run Propane or Natural Gas Line

Next up, we needed the gas. As I said, our home is heated by natural gas, so it was easy to supply the fireplace with it, since it was right there.

We hired a plumber who drilled a hole in the back of the fireplace floor, that went to the utility area below and tied into the existing gas line. 

6. Have It Installed

Then the gentleman from the fireplace shop showed up with our log set and got to work. I have to say I was a little taken aback by the bones of the system. It was basically the same thing you'd find in the bottom of your gas grill.

Exactly.


The gas line the plumber ran the day before was hooked up to the fireplace burner. There was a valve to turn the gas on and off and a pilot light, same as any other gas appliance in your home.

When the mechanics of the fireplace were all connected, he placed a metal grill to hold the logs on top of the burner.

The art came into the picture when he started arranging the ceramic log set we had purchased in place.

The log sets are made so that they can be put together in different ways, like a puzzle. You can play around with the logs to achieve the look that suits your style.

I stood very close by and he asked me what I thought after each piece went down. He was obviously very experienced and I didn't have much to say. It all looked very good to me.

The next step was to add the lava coals to cover the bottom of the fireplace.


We also opted for the glowing embers which create the appearance that there's actual embers burning below the logs. More artful arranging.

He also added a small remote control base unit, disguised in a tiny log slice, near the opening of the hearth.

7. Adding The Vent Clip

The final step was to add a clip on the fireplace flue to keep it propped open a very small amount so the pilot light would have a vent.

I didn't love this, but being the daughter of a plumber who owned his own heating business, I know you don't mess around with gas.

It's also the reason I was thrilled that the system came with built-in safety that shuts the gas off if the pilot goes out. Something that happened to us this fall.

8. Educate Yourself About Safety and Cleaning 

Additionally, my husband has the gas line labeled in the basement, so if there is ever an issue we all know exactly where to find the main line shut off valve.

As a homeowner, knowing how to do these things is very important.

It's also important to know how to clean your gas fireplace. Something we wouldn't learn for almost a decade. Not smart.

I think it took our fireplace installer about an hour to get it all done. 

And when the mister got home from work that night, there was a roaring fire in the living room.

We stayed there all night curled up. Staring at the stunning focal point we fell in love with all those years ago.


It looked wonderful full of fire, the flames rising and falling with the touch of button, according to our whims.

And when we were finally ready to retire, we just pointed the remote clicked it all away.

Like magic.

And completely magical like we knew it would be all those years ago.

Do you have a fireplace?