<< Back to all Blogs
Login or Create your own free blog
Layout:
Home > Propane Fireplace

Propane Fireplace

November 18th, 2013 at 04:37 pm



We are really trying to figure out all our options for heating our house as cheaply as possible.

Lately I have been most interested in propane fireplaces.

I have always liked the looks of them, but I have never heard of anyone using them for a main heat source.

I looked up on google, and people do use them. But not a lot of information was to be found.

I think the cost of running one would be cheaper than our furnace. It's so inefficient, the air it does blow is barely even warm. I really only need to heat 3 rooms which are all open to each other. Around 650 square feet. We have a big open foyer with no furniture, so I think this would be a great place for a fireplace, especially since that is exactly where the propane line comes into the house.

The model I'm looking at is $400 to $500. Which seems like a lot, but if it could save us $1,000 this year, I'd say it's worth it.

Does anyone have experience with a propane fireplace?

Posted in Uncategorized | 6 Comments »

6 Responses to “Propane Fireplace”

  1. Xtreme Thunder Says:
    November 18th, 2013 at 06:26 pm 1384799177
    1384799177

    I would see if there is information on how much propane it uses based on its highest setting and extrapolate that information to see how much it potentially will cost you to run/ day. You are going to have to make some assumption, but could get you an idea of your payback or if it's worth it. Does the unit give any efficiency ratings? Are there any reviews of the unit you are looking at? Cost to maintain? Thermostat driven? Cost of installation? Are you able to direct vent the unit? $400-500 actually appears to be on the less costly end of the spectrum, most being $1500-2200 depending on brand, BTU ratings and efficiency. Do you have any business local that are in that business you can price out/ check desired features?

    In any of the estimates on the actual heating unit, has there ever been any heating load calculations performed based on your specific structure make-up, orientation and surroundings?

  2. klarose Says:
    November 18th, 2013 at 07:03 pm 1384801435
    1384801435

    $400 - $500 was for a vent less model. But after some research I do not feel like that is a safe way to go. We would have to direct vent and your right. Those models are around $1,500 at least.

    I think my best bet would be to call our heating and cooling guy and see if he knows anything about them, or has any ideas for us.

  3. Carol Says:
    November 19th, 2013 at 03:02 am 1384830147
    1384830147

    I think you also need to think about replacing your furnace--or first, see if a good cleaning or adjustment would make it work better. the $1500 for the better propane heater is a big chunk toward a new furnace. However, I totally understand your desire to not freeze all winter, so keep exploring your options!!! Good luck!!

  4. klarose Says:
    November 19th, 2013 at 03:06 pm 1384873585
    1384873585

    Our HVAC guy is coming out next week to check it out and talk about our options. He too thinks at this point replacing the furnace and ducts would not be worth it. The crawl space is so small and insulated. But he will come give us an estimate.

    I also found a direct vent, heater on my local craigslist for $500!! I was so excited, but sad to find out that is runs on Natural Gas. I might call the company and see if there is a way to switch it to propane. That's a great discount!

  5. Xtreme Thunder Says:
    November 19th, 2013 at 07:12 pm 1384888337
    1384888337

    I would call the company to see if they sell a Propane conversion kit for their Natural Gas unit. If they don't, there isn't a legal, safe way of doing it. Finding that stuff on Craigslist could yield great savings off the top. Just make sure the BTU rating of the unit can keep up with demand of intended use, as an undersized unit will pull deeper from your wallet.

    I would also look into other types of fuel though. In addition to the wood you had mentioned, I would look into pellet stoves as well. It seems you would be making a lateral move with supplementing Propane heat with another Propane heat unit. I am willing to bet the cost of Propane is the mostly the reason for the high cost.

    I poke around last night on some of the newer, well know companies of such. They list a cost/ hr. on their Propane and Natural Gas units, just copy and paste the link below to get to the general part of the site I was mentioning. I am not sure what the assumed fuel price is though.

    Text is http://www.quadrafire.com/Shopping-Tools/Buying-Resources/Gas-Appliance-Cost-Calculator.aspx?pid={4CEADCCF-A580-43DA-AE4E-2E68555EBB57} and Link is
    http://www.quadrafire.com/Shopping-Tools/Buying-Resources/Ga...

    Regards, Joe

  6. Xtreme Thunder Says:
    November 19th, 2013 at 07:12 pm 1384888352
    1384888352

    Darn, double post!

Leave a Reply

(Note: If you were logged in, we could automatically fill in these fields for you.)
*
Will not be published.
   

* Please spell out the number 4.  [ Why? ]

vB Code: You can use these tags: [b] [i] [u] [url] [email]