Realistic-looking gas-burning logs are a “no-brainer” replacement for traditional wooden logs

The crackling sound of an intimate fire on a bleak winter’s night, the life-giving heat that fights off the cold and covers you with its soft touch, the all-encompassing smell of burning wood, the slate fireplace that radiates heat from its hard heart. Ahhhhh, the memories.

They’re not my memories, of course, and probably not yours either, if you grew up in the city. But if this is what you remember, then I’m sure you can also remember spending many hours shoveling out the stove, sweeping the chimney, chopping and stacking the wood, and putting up with the fumes, smoke and ash. I start hacking just talking about it.

All of the negative memories can be a thing of the past, and only the feel-good ones will be left, if you begin using ceramic gas-burning logs in place of real wood. Since they are ceramic they will last for many years while burning either natural gas or propane.

There are two basic types of logs: vented and vent-free or ventless.

Vented gas logs sit in the fireplace the same as regular wood logs. Their flames engulf the logs and frolic along the edges like bouncing sprites. That is, at least, until you get tired of watching them and shut the flames off with the remote. Vented gas logs offer an attractive alternative to wood burning, but this works only if you have a fireplace in your house, or the spare room to build one.

What about people who are more ft²-challenged?

Well, apartment-dwelling city folk can have memories, too, by buying vent-free ceramic gas logs. These fireplaces can be portable and give off a small but pleasing blue flame. The best advantage of vent-free gas logs is they generate more heat than a wood burning stove with the same capacity. This is because the logs are constructed using a ceramic that allows heat to radiate outwards after it warms up. The dense, refractory ceramic used to construct these logs so they are believable in appearance and effective in heat output, also allows you to enjoy your stove without the cleanup of ash, wood dust and messy debris. Because they are self-contained (i.e. no vent), all of the heat produced stays within the room. The disadvantages to vent-free logs are the increase in humidity, necessity of having oxygen and carbon monoxide detectors (which sometimes come with the unit), and the need for fresh air (open a window) if the fireplace has been running for more than an hour.

Which type of gas logs you decide on will depend on a compromise between aesthetics, functionality, and convenience. The vented log will look realistic and set a cozy ambiance, but it won’t give off much heat since most of that goes up the chimney. The vent-free fireplaces and logs are easier to place and more energy-efficient, but the flame is small and blue and the logs require more effort to maintain safety.