Shoppers Guide to Buying Wall Mounted Gas Fires

During the cold months of the year, the cosy atmosphere of a fireplace not only heats the house but warms the soul. The inconvenience of keeping enough wood nearby and cleaning the ashes, not to mention the occasional smoke-filled room, discourage people from the pleasure a fire brings. Gas fireplaces basically solve this problem for you, and wall-mounted gas fires are so easy and convenient, they are a dream come true. They come in beautiful colours, brushed steel, and some have decorative flames from a bed of pebbles.

There is the possibility for a wall-mounted gas fire with a flue, and without. Flueless fires do not require a chimney because they use a catalytic converter to remove the fumes and often an oxygen depletion censor for added safety. They are extremely energy-efficient because none of the heat is lost up the chimney and the gas they use is about 25% less than other models. Your room needs to have additional ventilation for air circulation and it needs to be of a minimum size for a flueless gas fireplace. These gas fires are very sleek and modern-looking for the minimalist room but also look good in any décor, including Mediterranean, period, Spanish and more.

Wall-mounted gas fireplaces with a flue are called "hole-in-the-wall" and need a chimney. You may already have one in your house, but it needs to be in good condition. You could have a pre-fabricated flue that is a series of metal flue pipes that carry the fumes away through the house to the roof. A pre-cast flue is in most modern homes and is made of hollow concrete blocks that create a flue through the house to the roof with a ridge vent on the roof.

If you have a conventional fireplace but are tired of the mess, it can be converted into gas fireplace. You could even raise it off floor level for a whole new look and you already have the chimney. You can get fireplaces set into the wall or ones that stand in the room with beautiful surrounds, including marble, limestone or cast iron, depending on the period and style of your home. For wall-mounted there are mirror, bronze and stainless steel. Whatever kind of gas fireplace and surrounds you choose, you must have them installed by a GasSafe registered engineer and serviced annually. If this is not done, the guarantee will become invalid.