Gas fire as an alternative to a wood burner?

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I would like a wood burner (or multi fuel) stove but my husband is concerned about particulates and air quality. I saw an advert today for a gas fire that says it has realistic flames and logs and (in the magazine at least) looks a lot like a wood burner.

But are they irredeemably naff? And have they improved since the days of my grandparents gas fire which definitely did not look like real flame?

Anyone got one?

Thank you 🔥

I'm a gas engineer, some people on here are talking utter bull. A gas stove is no comparison for a wood burner.

Firstly the for a gas stove to produce warmth of any use in heating your home it must have a heat exchanger. Nearly all gas fires and stoves under 7kw do not, they are decoration and most of the heat is lost up the chimney.

A log burner will be made of cast iron or steel and incorporate bricks which all radiate heat into the room. Most clean burn stoves required in towns incorporate a super heated plate that reduces smoke.

In terms of dust well if you want a stove then expect lots of dust because when you open the door and you empty the ash tray you are adding dust to the air.

Its not good for you but neither is the car exhaust or the crap they spray on your food. Its a very sad day for humanity when people are willing to burn gas just for decoration, it's not like it's even cheap

@Dubse very true, i don't understand the point of a gas stove throwing heat up the chimney. If you want heat and the look of a wood burner get a wood burner, if you want to heat your house with gas get gas central heating. Very expensive to burn gas so you can see some flames in the living room and yes anyone can tell the difference as for the idea of it being easier as you get a remote control!! , just get a wood burner if you want the look of a wood burner if you are too lazy for a wood burner then use your central heating! Not some fake rubbish

Gas is incredibly naff (you're not fooling anyone!) and ineffectual for heating, just get a burner if you want one.

We had a gas fire that looked like a wood burner, it had a real flame, it was in a new build and our neighbours had a real wood burner that the couldn't use because it made the room too warm, we needed a feature in the big fireplace and it was perfect because you could just switch it off when the room temperature was right, I would definitely recommend unless you live in an old house where you need lots of extra warmth

I don't find our woodburner messy. It's a very new one, the wood burns down to a fine ash. It's easy to empty that away. Sometimes if we are only going to be in for an hour and go out or come back late I'd like to just be able to turn the gas fire on. But I've got used to that.

Wood stoves shouldn't be used in towns. But villages or isolated houses, carry on!

We have a multi burner stove a fire fox 8 and our coal man delivers the logs every 2 weeks and i use a metal vac for the ash which i empty once a week no fuss no mess we had the fire stove and the fire place and the heath and the liner and cowl all done day and ahalf 750 oo all done 5 years ago no probs

I wanted to get a woodburner when we moved house 5 years ago because I liked them, but never got around to it, and I'm so glad we didn't. My gas fire is perfectly pleasant-looking, switches on instantly with no faff and no need to get fuel, heats the room quickly and effectively. And since I read about how bad log burners are for your health, I'm even more glad I didn't get one!

Warmth as in atmosphere! I once saw it written that ‘any situation is immediately improved when somebody gets the fire going’ and I agree 100%. If you’re feeling sad, happy, miserable, poorly, worried or just cold a cosy log fire will improve things instantly. The same cannot be said of ‘let’s turn the heating on’. You don’t get the crackle, the glowing embers, the flames finding their way around a freshly added log or just the friendly comforting feeling of a real fire. Oh and you can’t toast things on a gas fire.

We have had a multi burner stove over 5years no probs gas and elec prices going up up why we bought the multi stove the heating is to dry as i have copd and i done cough alot now and my beathing is better

I disagree. My gas fire, which has actual flames, gives the room actual warmth and the same cosy look/atmosphere as any other kind of fire, minus the smell (which I admit I like) and the effect on your lungs (which I don't). A real fire is prettier, but the disadvantages outweigh the advantages. I know, as I used to have a real fire. It was pretty, but a pain in the neck really.

I've had to have my gas fire taken out as other peoples' woodsmoke comes down my flue, which I have now blocked up of course. Wood burners give off particle pollution which is a killer, 38,000 early deaths a year in the UK. The 'nice' smell that comes off burning wood is BENZENE, which is cancerous, used in weedkiller and insecticide.

The 'nice' smell that comes off burning wood is BENZENE

Is it?

"Benzene has a sweet, aromatic, gasoline-like odour"

www.cdc.gov/niosh/ershdb/emergencyresponsecard_29750032.html

In terms of particulates and air quality, Eco-design ready stoves are exceptionally clean, contrary to outlandish statements made at the beginning of the year. Modern gas fires are very efficient nowadays and are lower on PM10 and PM2.5 than wood burners but are massively higher on CO2. Its just a case of what you prefer but make sure you buy good quality if efficiencies and emissions are important to you.

Some of you seem to have lots of helpful info... What is the most eco friendly option? Sorry for the hijack!

Why would there be Benzene on trees? When we've trimmed our trees, cut up the logs and stored them for a year to season them l can't think why there would be Benzene on them?!

Hi all. Just came back to this thread and found a lot more discussion than I expected there would be. Thank you everyone for your viewpoints. I will read properly.

Wood smoke is carcinogenic. Research the health impacts and I don't think you'll want one. We have stopped using ours now I know the facts.

Our local authority is planning a public health campaign to warn people about the health risks of particulates from log burners and open fires. Your husband is correct to be concerned.

Unfortunately they have become a trendy must-have but where you have alternatives choose them over domestic wood burning. The smoke seeps into your house and your neighbours. There is so much evidence now but sadly still little public awareness. The Stove Industry is very powerful.

And even the most efficient and so called eco friendly stoves pollute the air that you and your family breathe. It's as toxic as second hand cigarette smoke.

All flames produce heat, the difference is how much of that heat is pushed into the room and how much is lost up the chimney.

As for toxins, well burning your toast is enough to set off a CO alarm....please get some perspective.

I would question whether having one in a town is a good idea....clean air is important after all especially for childrens health. Burn dry wood if you have one and don't burn treated timber for Pete's sake. I see lots of people burning MDF and pressure treated timber......it's poison.

In about twenty years gas will be too expensive to waste on vanity. My advice would be if you live in a town is spend your money on quality insulation and a good boiler....

I have had a wood fire my whole life, I’m in my fifties now and don’t have cancer. I think there are far more carcinogens to be found in food in the form of additives and these are permitted by the government!

Benzene is found in petrol and diesel so if you fill up a car you may well get it on your hands as it ‘creeps’ and in answer to a previous comment it is likely to be found on treated timber eg: garden fencing or furniture and interior timber for building use, often broken up and burnt on a fire when no longer of use.
For a good log fire you need seasoned wood (stored for a year to let the sap dry out so it doesn’t tar up the chimney), when buying logs buy from a reputable merchant as apart from anything else ‘green’ logs won’t burn. Really you need a wood store so you can rotate your deliveries and always be burning seasoned wood. Might sound a lot of fuss but it’s worth it and in reply to another comment, people who live in rural Britain have a fire out of necessity and not because it’s trendy.

As I said there is a right and wrong place for wood burners.....towns don't need any more smoke. They should be banned in built up areas and so should BBQs and bonfires....far too many children now asthma thanks to diesel cars and trucks the last thing we need is everyone burning wood.

@wheresmymojo do you have a link to your fire?
Sounds like something I have been looking for.

We took out a woodburner and replaced with a gas stove (Firefox 8) It looks realistic enough, gives out plenty of heat, less dusty, less faff, can turn on and adjust at the touch of a button, and no creepy crawlies coming in with the wood from outside! My life is busy enough without sourcing wood, drying it, chopping it, lugging it in and sweeping ashes.

My Stovax gas studio fire is very warm - please don't believe the rhetoric that it's decoration only. My friend's electric fire is pure decoration but the gas is toasty. But do pay a decent amount and research carefully.

Wood burners are a curse in towns and cities and I hope they're banned. In London there are campaigns to route cars away from schools but no-one wants to sacrifice their wood burners for better air quality.

Yet a THIRD of London pollution is caused by wood burners!