Our friends got electric fireplaces, and they really like them. The logs are really nice, and it does warm up the room.

Their contractor discouraged them from getting gas because he said it was like a jacuzzi; nice but you'll never use it. Electric is easier (I guess, I don't know a thing about this stuff), so all they have to do is use the remote to turn it off/on.

Electric might be a cheaper alternative.

I live out in the country so no gas lines to tap into so people get a propane tank if they want gas stove, gas fireplace or back-up gas furnance. They are buried under ground.

We have an older home with a wood burning fireplace. We had the fireplace inspected by a chimney sweep in anticipation of wanting to use it this winter, but he came back and said we need to re-line the chimney and replace the damper/flu (to the tune of $4-5K) for it to be safe to use. Admittedly, I don't like the smell and mess of a wood burning fire, but assumed since we don't have gas lines in our neighborhood, we couldn't convert to gas.

Saw an ad today in the WaPo magazine for a fireplace store that does propane logs. Has anyone done this? Would it require us to have a big tank in our back yard, or is there some sort of smaller tank that can be more easily hidden and used to supply the fireplace? Wonder what the cost would be?

I'll call those guys on Monday, but just wondered if anyone on DCUM had any insight to share.

TIA!