Fireplaces other than gas or wood: good idea, or waste of money?

Factual Questions
1

i’ve been without a fireplace for 11 years. i live in the only condo in my entire complex that doesn’t have one. damnit, after all this time, i wanna fireplace!

however, having had one in the past, i know very well what heat suckers in disguise they are. although there is a built-in chimney flue and firebox behind my rear outside wall, it hasn’t been seen since the original construction 24 years ago. probably not gonna be code-ready, and i’m not really interested in a full-on working chimney anyway.

rather than installing a gas fireplace (the gas line is quite close by so that part would be relatively cheap), i’ve been considering purchasing either a gel-burning or electric fireplace that has the supposedly nifty simulated flames that look real.

whatever. :stuck_out_tongue:

they’re portable and can be put on any wall. some of these babies are downright salty, price-wise, and others aren’t too bad. it just depends on what style you want and what size you want as well.

i don’t believe i can ID in this forum any of the on-line websites i’ve been visiting lately, but i plan to scope out these beasts in person here in the indianapolis area before i even *consider * buying a thing. there are several local outfits that carry them.

but, before i go and do all that, does anyone here have either of these and do they live up to the hype? i await your commentaries.

2

There was an old wood-burning stove insert in my living room fireplace. I’ve recently had it replaced with a new, EPA rated wood burning stove with a glass front. For me, a gas-burning fireplace is out of the question. Propane is just too expensive. Electric? Why? I have a couple of those oil-filled radiator-style electric space heaters and they work just fine.

One thing I have here is a bit of deadfall. Seems there’s always something to burn. And if not, there are bundles of firewood you can buy at the store. At $5 a bundle, I’m not going to heat the house with it. But it’s rather pleasant to have a fire going, and it does heat the house pretty effectively. And it’s a handy way of getting rid of those junk newspapers that come in the mailbox every week.

3

Consider a wood pellet stove. They are very efficient, create very little creosote, will work with small flues, and you still get the dancing yellow flames of a wood fire. I used one as the sole heat for a two bedroom house in the cold winters of New Hampshire for about $6 a day.