Fast Fireplaces Blog

Thinking of a gas fireplace, but confused about the differences between natural gas (NG) or propane (LP)?

We can help.

Natural gas is one of the best fuels known to man. Unlike oil, for example, natural gas is relatively clean burning and will not emit any unhealthy scents as part of its combustion process. It can be a bit more expensive than oil in bulk, but fortunately it is still cheap enough to be used effectively for heating your home. Amazingly enough, a gas fireplace powered by either natural gas or propane can actually heat small homes more efficiently than most furnaces.

If you are like most of us, chances are you already have plenty of natural gas appliances in your home which can make the process of installing a gas fireplace a breeze. From your dryer to your hot water heater, to your oven or stove and furnace, there are plenty of items in your house which may already use natural gas as their primary source of heating power. Provided you have at least one of these appliances in your home, you will already have a natural gas pipeline installed underneath your floorboards, making it far easier to install a natural gas powered fireplace if you do not already have one.

Then again there are some of people who will not be able to use the clean burning power of natural gas to power their fireplace, whether due to location or expense. Fortunately enough, you can run a gas fireplace on just about any type of gas – including the much more portable propane variety.

With propane you can easily take the power of gas to install a fireplace just about any place you can imagine. Since liquid propane comes in its very own tank, propane can be used to power a gas log fireplace even if there is no natural gas line for miles. Some propane gas fireplaces even have special compartments behind the mantel which will allow you to store any unsightly propane tanks while they are in use. A certified plumber or electrician can also help you run a small gas line into your fireplace so you can keep your propane tank safely locked up outside.

But how do they stack up against each other?
In some cases propane can actually be slightly more cost-effective than natural gas, but – it typically tends to burn a bit dirtier. The soot buildup from a propane burning gas log set can affect your gas fireplace’s looks and performance.  If you use propane to fuel your gas log fireplace, be sure to routinely perform a little maintenance and cleanup. Depending on how often you use your fireplace, you should take down the glass and clean the soot off of your propane burner once a season, or at least once a year.

However, some recent advances have given propane burners a cleaner boost, such as Hargrove’s System Four Optimized Burner. This gas log burner set was designed specifically to meet the challenge of a clean-burning propane fireplace. It uses controlled porting and optimal fuel to air ratios to create an extremely clean burning system that provides natural flame patterns and a full glowing ember bed, with much less carbon production than previous liquid propane systems. For more information on Hargrove’s System Four burner, you can check out our website at www.FastFireplaces.com.

~Your Friends at FastFireplaces.com