New Inn design: Fireplaces, gas or real wood burning?

[Barliman]

Okay, I think you've convinced me.....its gonna be gas (at least in the suites). I think I can still go for wood/gas combo in the common room.

 

[Innkeeper To Go]

Okay, I think you've convinced me.....its gonna be gas (at least in the suites). I think I can still go for wood/gas combo in the common room..

A perfect combo. Guests rooms won't get sooty and the common room can retain a rustic charm!

 

[1linda]

Okay, I think you've convinced me.....its gonna be gas (at least in the suites). I think I can still go for wood/gas combo in the common room..

No one has mentioned checking with your insurance. We had a potbellied stove in our common room, insurance said it had to go after they told us it was OK. I would definitely check it out before I went ahead with wood or gas.

 

[egoodell]

Okay, I think you've convinced me.....its gonna be gas (at least in the suites). I think I can still go for wood/gas combo in the common room..

Okay, I think you've convinced me.....its gonna be gas (at least in the suites). I think I can still go for wood/gas combo in the common room.

Sounds like a perfect solution. I would love the ability to have a real fireplace but can't here because a local inn left unattended had a terrible fire so anyone with a real fireplace cannot leave their inn unattended when guests are in.
Just don't leave extra wood out in the common room or you could wake up with a huge fire left unattended....I've had someone have that happen. Folks come home at 11pm and decide to build a fire...
Riki

 

[Cathy]

We have stayed a couple of times at a place with wood fires in the rooms, not many other options here. They are used for heat but once they are out, you get the lovely smell of smoke all night and into the next day. When you get into your car to drive home ... the smoke smell follows. All your clothes smell like smoke. It is the feature that lasts beyond your stay.
We have no source of heating here. Would love even electric but electricity here would cost you an arm and a leg. Thank goodness our cold weather only lasts a couple of weeks. More bedding is all we have. Once gas has made it's way here that is what we will be looking at. Warmth and ambiance.

 

[white pine]

We have stayed a couple of times at a place with wood fires in the rooms, not many other options here. They are used for heat but once they are out, you get the lovely smell of smoke all night and into the next day. When you get into your car to drive home ... the smoke smell follows. All your clothes smell like smoke. It is the feature that lasts beyond your stay.
We have no source of heating here. Would love even electric but electricity here would cost you an arm and a leg. Thank goodness our cold weather only lasts a couple of weeks. More bedding is all we have. Once gas has made it's way here that is what we will be looking at. Warmth and ambiance. .

Hi Cathy!
We had an old stone house in the country and had propane heat. We converted our fireplace to gas logs which worked on lp. It looked great was less messy and worked without electricity. We just installed a gas "wood stove" with doors that open to an invisible glass front in our house downstate It gives the look of an open fire! It too could run on lp and does not need electricity and also has a thermostat so it will act as a back-up heat source when the power goes down. Check them out!

 

[user 26]

here's some food for thought.
the power went out. the oil furnace is out. (ran out of oil, too!) the electric came on briefly and went out again. waiting for service from the oil and furnace people. we are heating the living room with a wood burning stove that hadn't been used in a long time (years) ... although the chimneys were recently cleaned. the rest of the house is cold. it almost feels warmer in the sun than in the cold rooms within the house.
a backup heat source is great (although this wood burning stove in one common room would not help if this were a guest house because most of the house is too cold)

 

[gillumhouse]

here's some food for thought.
the power went out. the oil furnace is out. (ran out of oil, too!) the electric came on briefly and went out again. waiting for service from the oil and furnace people. we are heating the living room with a wood burning stove that hadn't been used in a long time (years) ... although the chimneys were recently cleaned. the rest of the house is cold. it almost feels warmer in the sun than in the cold rooms within the house.
a backup heat source is great (although this wood burning stove in one common room would not help if this were a guest house because most of the house is too cold).

We have an ancient gas heater that looks like a radiator in the foyer. This is "straight pipe" - turn on gas and light it - that can be used if the power goes off. It would not be sufficient to heat the whole house but since warm air rises would help the upstairs while we huddled in the foyer and closed off all the doors downstairs at the foyer. We regard this as "emergency heating" because it does not have any modern features on it.

 

[Morticia]

here's some food for thought.
the power went out. the oil furnace is out. (ran out of oil, too!) the electric came on briefly and went out again. waiting for service from the oil and furnace people. we are heating the living room with a wood burning stove that hadn't been used in a long time (years) ... although the chimneys were recently cleaned. the rest of the house is cold. it almost feels warmer in the sun than in the cold rooms within the house.
a backup heat source is great (although this wood burning stove in one common room would not help if this were a guest house because most of the house is too cold).

Propane gas stoves work without electricity. We had to use them last year to keep the pipes from freezing when the power went out. I sorely wanted one in my space, where we don't even have ambient heat from the furnace. (Do have a lot of solar, tho.)

 

[white pine]

here's some food for thought.
the power went out. the oil furnace is out. (ran out of oil, too!) the electric came on briefly and went out again. waiting for service from the oil and furnace people. we are heating the living room with a wood burning stove that hadn't been used in a long time (years) ... although the chimneys were recently cleaned. the rest of the house is cold. it almost feels warmer in the sun than in the cold rooms within the house.
a backup heat source is great (although this wood burning stove in one common room would not help if this were a guest house because most of the house is too cold).

Propane gas stoves work without electricity. We had to use them last year to keep the pipes from freezing when the power went out. I sorely wanted one in my space, where we don't even have ambient heat from the furnace. (Do have a lot of solar, tho.)
.

Not so much a reply. It just took me a long time to figure out how to put in a photo Just trying to learn. This is, if it it works, a picture of the stove we installed. It has a propane option, runs without electricity on a thermostat. Thanks for bearing with me.

 

[egoodell]

here's some food for thought.
the power went out. the oil furnace is out. (ran out of oil, too!) the electric came on briefly and went out again. waiting for service from the oil and furnace people. we are heating the living room with a wood burning stove that hadn't been used in a long time (years) ... although the chimneys were recently cleaned. the rest of the house is cold. it almost feels warmer in the sun than in the cold rooms within the house.
a backup heat source is great (although this wood burning stove in one common room would not help if this were a guest house because most of the house is too cold).

Propane gas stoves work without electricity. We had to use them last year to keep the pipes from freezing when the power went out. I sorely wanted one in my space, where we don't even have ambient heat from the furnace. (Do have a lot of solar, tho.)
.

Not so much a reply. It just took me a long time to figure out how to put in a photo Just trying to learn. This is, if it it works, a picture of the stove we installed. It has a propane option, runs without electricity on a thermostat. Thanks for bearing with me.

.

That is very pretty and cozy looking!
Riki

 

[white pine]

here's some food for thought.
the power went out. the oil furnace is out. (ran out of oil, too!) the electric came on briefly and went out again. waiting for service from the oil and furnace people. we are heating the living room with a wood burning stove that hadn't been used in a long time (years) ... although the chimneys were recently cleaned. the rest of the house is cold. it almost feels warmer in the sun than in the cold rooms within the house.
a backup heat source is great (although this wood burning stove in one common room would not help if this were a guest house because most of the house is too cold).

Propane gas stoves work without electricity. We had to use them last year to keep the pipes from freezing when the power went out. I sorely wanted one in my space, where we don't even have ambient heat from the furnace. (Do have a lot of solar, tho.)
.

Not so much a reply. It just took me a long time to figure out how to put in a photo Just trying to learn. This is, if it it works, a picture of the stove we installed. It has a propane option, runs without electricity on a thermostat. Thanks for bearing with me.

.

That is very pretty and cozy looking!
Riki
.

Thanks, we really like it. A friend thought it was a real fire-- the doors open and although there is glass across it, it looks like an open fire.
I went to a show room and was really impressed with what's available now. One company out of Iowa has a log fireplace which can go from glowing embers to a huge fire by remote. I really looked good. Another company had a brochure which showed an in wall installation of an arch top fireplace on the end wall of a jacuzzi bath. It has a glass front which turns to a mirror when there is no fire. Soak in the tub look at a mirror or a fire! Very cool.
The stove we installed does not get hot on the sides or back-- it only has a 2" set back from the walls. We set ours in a corner and it takes very little room. I really think these are great!

 

[Morticia]

here's some food for thought.
the power went out. the oil furnace is out. (ran out of oil, too!) the electric came on briefly and went out again. waiting for service from the oil and furnace people. we are heating the living room with a wood burning stove that hadn't been used in a long time (years) ... although the chimneys were recently cleaned. the rest of the house is cold. it almost feels warmer in the sun than in the cold rooms within the house.
a backup heat source is great (although this wood burning stove in one common room would not help if this were a guest house because most of the house is too cold).

Propane gas stoves work without electricity. We had to use them last year to keep the pipes from freezing when the power went out. I sorely wanted one in my space, where we don't even have ambient heat from the furnace. (Do have a lot of solar, tho.)
.

Not so much a reply. It just took me a long time to figure out how to put in a photo Just trying to learn. This is, if it it works, a picture of the stove we installed. It has a propane option, runs without electricity on a thermostat. Thanks for bearing with me.

.

A friend just installed one of those, almost touching the wall! I am amazed at how close they can get now.

 

[Don Draper]

here's some food for thought.
the power went out. the oil furnace is out. (ran out of oil, too!) the electric came on briefly and went out again. waiting for service from the oil and furnace people. we are heating the living room with a wood burning stove that hadn't been used in a long time (years) ... although the chimneys were recently cleaned. the rest of the house is cold. it almost feels warmer in the sun than in the cold rooms within the house.
a backup heat source is great (although this wood burning stove in one common room would not help if this were a guest house because most of the house is too cold).

Propane gas stoves work without electricity. We had to use them last year to keep the pipes from freezing when the power went out. I sorely wanted one in my space, where we don't even have ambient heat from the furnace. (Do have a lot of solar, tho.)
.

Not so much a reply. It just took me a long time to figure out how to put in a photo Just trying to learn. This is, if it it works, a picture of the stove we installed. It has a propane option, runs without electricity on a thermostat. Thanks for bearing with me.

.

That is very pretty and cozy looking!
Riki
.

Thanks, we really like it. A friend thought it was a real fire-- the doors open and although there is glass across it, it looks like an open fire.
I went to a show room and was really impressed with what's available now. One company out of Iowa has a log fireplace which can go from glowing embers to a huge fire by remote. I really looked good. Another company had a brochure which showed an in wall installation of an arch top fireplace on the end wall of a jacuzzi bath. It has a glass front which turns to a mirror when there is no fire. Soak in the tub look at a mirror or a fire! Very cool.
The stove we installed does not get hot on the sides or back-- it only has a 2" set back from the walls. We set ours in a corner and it takes very little room. I really think these are great!
.

That is very cool! Who is the manufacturer?

 

[white pine]

here's some food for thought.
the power went out. the oil furnace is out. (ran out of oil, too!) the electric came on briefly and went out again. waiting for service from the oil and furnace people. we are heating the living room with a wood burning stove that hadn't been used in a long time (years) ... although the chimneys were recently cleaned. the rest of the house is cold. it almost feels warmer in the sun than in the cold rooms within the house.
a backup heat source is great (although this wood burning stove in one common room would not help if this were a guest house because most of the house is too cold).

Propane gas stoves work without electricity. We had to use them last year to keep the pipes from freezing when the power went out. I sorely wanted one in my space, where we don't even have ambient heat from the furnace. (Do have a lot of solar, tho.)
.

Not so much a reply. It just took me a long time to figure out how to put in a photo Just trying to learn. This is, if it it works, a picture of the stove we installed. It has a propane option, runs without electricity on a thermostat. Thanks for bearing with me.

.

That is very pretty and cozy looking!
Riki
.

Thanks, we really like it. A friend thought it was a real fire-- the doors open and although there is glass across it, it looks like an open fire.
I went to a show room and was really impressed with what's available now. One company out of Iowa has a log fireplace which can go from glowing embers to a huge fire by remote. I really looked good. Another company had a brochure which showed an in wall installation of an arch top fireplace on the end wall of a jacuzzi bath. It has a glass front which turns to a mirror when there is no fire. Soak in the tub look at a mirror or a fire! Very cool.
The stove we installed does not get hot on the sides or back-- it only has a 2" set back from the walls. We set ours in a corner and it takes very little room. I really think these are great!
.

That is very cool! Who is the manufacturer?
.

Our stove is by Jotul, it can also operate off a remote. The tub installation was by Kozy Heat, the awesome embers to full roar was by Town and Country (they also had a very different with white sand instead of ashes and river rock instead of log--couldn't decide if I liked it or not, very different take on a hearth. (Correction to above "I" wasn't looking that good "IT"-- the stove was!!!)

 

[Don Draper]

here's some food for thought.
the power went out. the oil furnace is out. (ran out of oil, too!) the electric came on briefly and went out again. waiting for service from the oil and furnace people. we are heating the living room with a wood burning stove that hadn't been used in a long time (years) ... although the chimneys were recently cleaned. the rest of the house is cold. it almost feels warmer in the sun than in the cold rooms within the house.
a backup heat source is great (although this wood burning stove in one common room would not help if this were a guest house because most of the house is too cold).

Propane gas stoves work without electricity. We had to use them last year to keep the pipes from freezing when the power went out. I sorely wanted one in my space, where we don't even have ambient heat from the furnace. (Do have a lot of solar, tho.)
.

Not so much a reply. It just took me a long time to figure out how to put in a photo Just trying to learn. This is, if it it works, a picture of the stove we installed. It has a propane option, runs without electricity on a thermostat. Thanks for bearing with me.

.

That is very pretty and cozy looking!
Riki
.

Thanks, we really like it. A friend thought it was a real fire-- the doors open and although there is glass across it, it looks like an open fire.
I went to a show room and was really impressed with what's available now. One company out of Iowa has a log fireplace which can go from glowing embers to a huge fire by remote. I really looked good. Another company had a brochure which showed an in wall installation of an arch top fireplace on the end wall of a jacuzzi bath. It has a glass front which turns to a mirror when there is no fire. Soak in the tub look at a mirror or a fire! Very cool.
The stove we installed does not get hot on the sides or back-- it only has a 2" set back from the walls. We set ours in a corner and it takes very little room. I really think these are great!
.

That is very cool! Who is the manufacturer?
.

Our stove is by Jotul, it can also operate off a remote. The tub installation was by Kozy Heat, the awesome embers to full roar was by Town and Country (they also had a very different with white sand instead of ashes and river rock instead of log--couldn't decide if I liked it or not, very different take on a hearth. (Correction to above "I" wasn't looking that good "IT"-- the stove was!!!)
.

Thanks! BTW, I think your potential plans sounds incredible and I hope you'll keep us posted as to how things progress.

 

[Redbirds]

here's some food for thought.
the power went out. the oil furnace is out. (ran out of oil, too!) the electric came on briefly and went out again. waiting for service from the oil and furnace people. we are heating the living room with a wood burning stove that hadn't been used in a long time (years) ... although the chimneys were recently cleaned. the rest of the house is cold. it almost feels warmer in the sun than in the cold rooms within the house.
a backup heat source is great (although this wood burning stove in one common room would not help if this were a guest house because most of the house is too cold).

Propane gas stoves work without electricity. We had to use them last year to keep the pipes from freezing when the power went out. I sorely wanted one in my space, where we don't even have ambient heat from the furnace. (Do have a lot of solar, tho.)
.

Not so much a reply. It just took me a long time to figure out how to put in a photo Just trying to learn. This is, if it it works, a picture of the stove we installed. It has a propane option, runs without electricity on a thermostat. Thanks for bearing with me.

.

A friend just installed one of those, almost touching the wall! I am amazed at how close they can get now.
.

A question about the gas logs/fireplaces...
Are yours vented through the chimney, or can you get ventless? Our house had a chimney fire back in 1912 which burned the third floor. After a new roof was put on all chimneys were then sealed off, and gas-forced air furnaces installed.
We still have the fireplaces and beautiful mantels, but have fake, non-functioning logs just for show. I'd like to be able to put something in the fireplaces to provide heat. I know there are electric ones out there with flickering "flames" but didn't know about ventless gas options.
Thanks.

 

[white pine]

here's some food for thought.
the power went out. the oil furnace is out. (ran out of oil, too!) the electric came on briefly and went out again. waiting for service from the oil and furnace people. we are heating the living room with a wood burning stove that hadn't been used in a long time (years) ... although the chimneys were recently cleaned. the rest of the house is cold. it almost feels warmer in the sun than in the cold rooms within the house.
a backup heat source is great (although this wood burning stove in one common room would not help if this were a guest house because most of the house is too cold).

Propane gas stoves work without electricity. We had to use them last year to keep the pipes from freezing when the power went out. I sorely wanted one in my space, where we don't even have ambient heat from the furnace. (Do have a lot of solar, tho.)
.

Not so much a reply. It just took me a long time to figure out how to put in a photo Just trying to learn. This is, if it it works, a picture of the stove we installed. It has a propane option, runs without electricity on a thermostat. Thanks for bearing with me.

.

A friend just installed one of those, almost touching the wall! I am amazed at how close they can get now.
.

A question about the gas logs/fireplaces...
Are yours vented through the chimney, or can you get ventless? Our house had a chimney fire back in 1912 which burned the third floor. After a new roof was put on all chimneys were then sealed off, and gas-forced air furnaces installed.
We still have the fireplaces and beautiful mantels, but have fake, non-functioning logs just for show. I'd like to be able to put something in the fireplaces to provide heat. I know there are electric ones out there with flickering "flames" but didn't know about ventless gas options.
Thanks.
.

How nice to have the mantels! I'm not into ventless my nephew says they are safe but a colorless, odorless, gas that kills is nothing I want to deal with. If the chimneys are only sealed, an installer can run a small vent pipe up through the existing chimney I think. I would ask a fireplace shop about it. Good Luck.

 

[Morticia]

here's some food for thought.
the power went out. the oil furnace is out. (ran out of oil, too!) the electric came on briefly and went out again. waiting for service from the oil and furnace people. we are heating the living room with a wood burning stove that hadn't been used in a long time (years) ... although the chimneys were recently cleaned. the rest of the house is cold. it almost feels warmer in the sun than in the cold rooms within the house.
a backup heat source is great (although this wood burning stove in one common room would not help if this were a guest house because most of the house is too cold).

Propane gas stoves work without electricity. We had to use them last year to keep the pipes from freezing when the power went out. I sorely wanted one in my space, where we don't even have ambient heat from the furnace. (Do have a lot of solar, tho.)
.

Not so much a reply. It just took me a long time to figure out how to put in a photo Just trying to learn. This is, if it it works, a picture of the stove we installed. It has a propane option, runs without electricity on a thermostat. Thanks for bearing with me.

.

A friend just installed one of those, almost touching the wall! I am amazed at how close they can get now.
.

A question about the gas logs/fireplaces...
Are yours vented through the chimney, or can you get ventless? Our house had a chimney fire back in 1912 which burned the third floor. After a new roof was put on all chimneys were then sealed off, and gas-forced air furnaces installed.
We still have the fireplaces and beautiful mantels, but have fake, non-functioning logs just for show. I'd like to be able to put something in the fireplaces to provide heat. I know there are electric ones out there with flickering "flames" but didn't know about ventless gas options.
Thanks.
.

From what I know about gas fireplaces, they HAVE to be vented to the outside in a sleeping area. The newest law here is that they ALL have to be vented, even if you have them in a living room.
With probably a lot of extra work, you could break thru the back wall of the fireplaces if they are on an outside wall and put in the fireplace unit you like.
The flickering electric ones look ok. Not really realistic up close. We have guests turn down the gas fireplace here because they want wood. I booked a place with the electric fireplace and I was disappointed. Not only didn't it look 'real' it wasn't warm. It was set up for looks only. If there was a way to turn the heating element on, we weren't told how. I think that was their number one complaint online, too.

 

[Innkeeper To Go]

here's some food for thought.
the power went out. the oil furnace is out. (ran out of oil, too!) the electric came on briefly and went out again. waiting for service from the oil and furnace people. we are heating the living room with a wood burning stove that hadn't been used in a long time (years) ... although the chimneys were recently cleaned. the rest of the house is cold. it almost feels warmer in the sun than in the cold rooms within the house.
a backup heat source is great (although this wood burning stove in one common room would not help if this were a guest house because most of the house is too cold).

Propane gas stoves work without electricity. We had to use them last year to keep the pipes from freezing when the power went out. I sorely wanted one in my space, where we don't even have ambient heat from the furnace. (Do have a lot of solar, tho.)
.

Not so much a reply. It just took me a long time to figure out how to put in a photo Just trying to learn. This is, if it it works, a picture of the stove we installed. It has a propane option, runs without electricity on a thermostat. Thanks for bearing with me.

.

A friend just installed one of those, almost touching the wall! I am amazed at how close they can get now.
.

A question about the gas logs/fireplaces...
Are yours vented through the chimney, or can you get ventless? Our house had a chimney fire back in 1912 which burned the third floor. After a new roof was put on all chimneys were then sealed off, and gas-forced air furnaces installed.
We still have the fireplaces and beautiful mantels, but have fake, non-functioning logs just for show. I'd like to be able to put something in the fireplaces to provide heat. I know there are electric ones out there with flickering "flames" but didn't know about ventless gas options.
Thanks.
.

From what I know about gas fireplaces, they HAVE to be vented to the outside in a sleeping area. The newest law here is that they ALL have to be vented, even if you have them in a living room.
With probably a lot of extra work, you could break thru the back wall of the fireplaces if they are on an outside wall and put in the fireplace unit you like.
The flickering electric ones look ok. Not really realistic up close. We have guests turn down the gas fireplace here because they want wood. I booked a place with the electric fireplace and I was disappointed. Not only didn't it look 'real' it wasn't warm. It was set up for looks only. If there was a way to turn the heating element on, we weren't told how. I think that was their number one complaint online, too.
.

Definitely whatever gas fireplace is used, it should be vented.
There are versions that vent from the back instead of the top, but venting is really essential.