December 5th, 2009
Cozy gas corner fireplaces are perhaps as close as one can get to a real, live wood burning fireplace. And in spite of rising fuel prices, gas corner fireplaces are often preferred over electric corner fireplaces by homeowners who want more realistic flames and fire ambience. A gas corner fireplace produces actual flames powered by natural gas or propane, with nearly all of the the visual interest associated with a real fire, but without the soot, cinders and mess of a real wood burning fireplace.
A bit more complicated to install than an electric corner fireplace, gas corner fireplaces give back in return a more authentic feeling of sitting beside the traditional family hearth. The variety and liveliness of their flames outstrip by far that of an electric corner fireplace, and perhaps inspire more imaginative reveries and memories of previous happy times spent in front of a fire on a cold winter night.
Available in a huge array of sizes, designs and finishes—and priced from a few hundred dollars up to thousands of dollars—gas corner fireplaces are comparable selection-wise to electric corner fireplaces, except that their starting prices are typically slightly higher.
Homeowners set on a gas corner fireplace have a few more issues to consider than those interested in an electric corner fireplace. Gas corner fireplaces are offered with three different kinds of venting, each with its own pros and cons: direct vent gas corner fireplaces, B- or natural vent gas corner fireplaces and ventless gas corner fireplaces.
A direct vent gas corner fireplace takes the air necessary for combustion from outside of the home, and returns the exhaust gas emitted from the gas corner fireplace to the out-of-doors as well. Such an arrangement maintains a warmer, more even home temperature, because the air of the interior of the home is not affected in any way. Furthermore, a direct vent gas fireplace does not need a standard chimney, for it can be vented directly through a wall of the home to outside.
On the other hand, a natural vent corner gas fireplace (or B vent, as it is sometimes called) has its vent going through the roof of the home, using what is termed a “B vent” gas pipe. Many people feel natural vent gas corner fireplaces have a more impressive, realistic range of flames than the other two types of gas corner fireplaces.
The third venting option for gas corner fireplaces does away with the need for vents entirely. A ventless gas corner fireplace does not require a chimney and so is suitable for any corner site in the home. A ventless gas corner fireplace is extremely energy efficient, more so than the vented models. And gas ventless corner fireplaces are always equipped with an important safety device: an Oxygen Depletion Sensor, which alerts homeowners if oxygen levels drop below safety levels. These sensors also have an automatic shut-off to prevent personal injury or damage to the home.
All told, a gas corner fireplace is a thing of welcome warmth in cold weather and a fixture of lasting beauty in the home, having lovely realistic flames and all the charms of a real fire.
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December 5th, 2009
The rising price of gas has made electric corner fireplaces an energy efficient low-cost solution to a gloomy, chilly room. Electric corner fireplaces are not only inexpensive, but are flexible enough in size and design that they are suitable for apartments or homes in place of wood stoves or fireplaces. As far as maintenance is concerned, electric corner fireplaces are vastly superior to traditional fireplaces, for they are cleaner by far and easier to access for tidying up.
Yes, electric corner fireplaces are the best single remedy for the dim chill of frosty nights and provide months of lasting pleasure and warmth all winter long.
Electric corner fireplaces are available in a wide assortment of sizes, colors, finishes and designs, many with fine veneers of oak, cherry, and wood. The very breadth and appeal of the units available are staggering, and a homeowner’s choice is limited only by one’s budget, unit size requirements, and room/funiture harmonizing considerations.
The installation of an electric corner fireplace instantly improves the atmosphere of any room. Usually placed in dark corner of otherwise wasted space, it quickly brightens and warms the vicinity for many square feet, and lends its wonderful magic even beyond, to other areas of the home.
Family members and friends eagerly gather round the dancing flames and soothing warmth of an electric corner fireplace for pleasant conversations, games and fellowship. Meals and snacks, holiday beverages and such become more tasty and enjoyable when served before the soft, comforting light of an electric corner fireplace. Winter’s gloom is banished forthwith to the outskirts of the home, where it belongs.
Children especially are blessed and enchanted by the presence of an electric corner fireplace in the home. They seek out its benign, cheerful glow and sit before it for hours playing quietly and enjoying its soothing benefits.
But adults are not immune to the charms of electric corner fireplaces, either, not by any means! Games of backgammon, cards, and darts are much more lively in the presence of an electric corner fireplace. Soccer matches, TV programs and just plain “visiting” become more animated and pleasurable in a room brightened and warmed by an electric corner fireplace.
And as for the neighbors and friends, watch your winter popularity sky rocket with the installation of an electric corner fireplace!
Inexpensive, easy to install, decorative and appreciated by everyone all winter long . . . electric corner fireplaces are the perfect family gift that “keeps on giving!”
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December 5th, 2009
Corner fireplace design has blossomed imaginatively in the last few years, and today consumers have a wealth of choices and options in outfitting the corner fireplace of their dreams. No longer is the selection limited to ten or twelve cookie cutter concepts. No, talented graphic and industrial artists have unleashed their fantasies and whimsies on the corner fireplace, and the array of off the shelf designs is truly staggering. Prospective buyers can literally exhaust themselves sorting through the several hundreds of designs, intent on finding just the right one that meets their individual tastes and room specifications.
Perhaps the first consideration is what kind of physical presence the homeowner has in mind for the corner fireplace. Is it to be a quiet, unobtrusive presence in the room? Or do they prefer a unit that dominates the space and other room furnishings impressively in, say, a medieval mode? Or, further, do they want the physcal aspect of the corner fireplace to gracefully integrate with the other room fixtures and furnishings in a harmonizing way, say, a corner fireplace comparable to the size of the wingback chairs and adjacent bookcases?
Once this issue is settled, it’s on to questions of mounting v. inserting v. free-standing units, all of which have dramatically differing effects on the look of the corner fireplace in the home. A mounted, elevated corner fireplace creates a totally different vista, experience and perception of the warmth generated than a hulking, more massive unit installed at floor level firmly against the wall surfaces.
These items out of the way, homeowners can next mull over the tsunami of styles and finishes confronting them, some of which are so unique and previously unimaginable, many potential buyers are sure to spend a considerable amount of time simply marvelling at them and scratching their heads. Style-wise, a shopper has these general categories to choose from, though each category itself holds many sub-sets:
- Traditional
- Country
- Neo-Classical
- Contemporary
- Minimalist
- Italianate
- Baroque
The next item on the list is that of “finishes.” And what a kaleidoscopic assortment of potential surfaces for the corner fireplace is presented to the buyer in this area! Choices include metal (copper, stainless steel, bronze, newly developed alloys; and then does one want a matte finish? or shiney? or something in between?), stone (various types of marble, brick, fieldstone, limestone and other stones), or is it wood the shopper has his or her heart set on? This, again, is something which requires careful reflection, for the options include cherry, oak, mahogany, fruitwood, cypress, and who knows what else?
Enticing, exciting shopping, surely, for corner fireplace design is no backwater art form, but literally a burgeoning, boisterous field. There is a corner fireplace design for everyone today, no matter how discriminating and hard to please!
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