Not to want the fire mended?

[AndBingoWasHisNameOh]

Our living room has a gas fire (fake coal fire) in a period fireplace. It is broken. It is perfectly safe as is but currently can't operate and will need replacement if we want a working one. Our house has new central heating put in 5 years ago and is not cold. Replacing it will not make it look cosmetically different. Cost is not a significant issue for us.

DH wants it replaced as he likes fires and would rather crank it up and sit around in a t shirt. We have a newly crawling baby so I'd rather leave it. We would need a fire guard which would look clunky but I'm more concerned about the risk to the baby. To my mind actively choosing to put in a fire with such a small one around is insane. He is having a small strop about it but we're not getting on that well at the moment anyway.

So, AIBU?

[gordyslovesheep]

yes I think YABU - you DH would like it done and likes fires ...surely crawling baby sleeps sometimes and you could have it on in the evening?

[LFCisTarkaDahl]

Agree with him as it's instant heat in winter.

Obviously it won't be on round the baby, or there will be a fire guard.

[StrangerintheNight]

YABU. We're having same discussion but with roles reversed. Been in our house over a year now and still at an impasse, which technically means my non-fire DH has won, but I like to have the odd strop about it.

[StrangerintheNight]

Also, our baby is newly crawling and has been eating the fake coal, so we still need some kind of fireguard anyway.

[LonelyCloud]

You might need a fireguard anyway. DS was fascinated by our gas fire, and kept trying to pull it to pieces until we put a fire guard around it.

(Gas fire obviously not turned on here)

[BigFatLegsInWoolyTIghts]

Yabu.

[WorraLiberty]

YABU

We have the same fire as you and central heating

We only really use the CH if there's snow on the ground outside. We prefer the instant heat of the fire and it's much cheaper to run.

[GoldShip]

I think you might be using the baby as the main excuse, despite it not being an issue really if you get a fire guard.

I think YABU.

[WorraLiberty]

We should all wear thermal onesies and never use our heating again....

[GoldShip]

This reminds me. My stepdad got a wood burner the other day. He decided to chuck some logs on. Next minute this putrid smell and smoke starts billowing out. He'd put a sodding imitation log on the thing AND not shut the door properly.

An imitation log though!

[WorraLiberty]

GoldShip

[Hopeforever]

We have one, I'd much rather a real fire but its not our house.

It's great to have a warm room down stairs that heats up in an instant rather than turn the heating on or up everywhere. Also great in the middle of the night if DH needs to remove baby from the bedroom so you can sleep if necessary

Agree crawling babies will need fire guard unless you remove the whole thing