Fireplace Lowdown

Modern Firewood Holders to Complement Your Decor

You love your woodstove or your fireplace, but you might not be a fan of the old-fashioned firewood holder squatting next to your hearth.  Maybe it's time for some modern alternatives.  If you browse the snazzy log and kindling holders from Ak47 Design, chances are you'll find something cool for your living room. 

Here's a look at a few of them, but definitely check out their site for more options. 

The Flex:

The Bamboo:

The Filo:

I'm pretty sure the pretty people, props, and logs aren't included, but the holders themselves are still cool.  They ought to go well with some of the exotic and modern fireplaces we've looked at in the past.

Fireplace Tray Makes Cleaning out Ashes Easy

Last year, we looked at an ash vacuum that can make cleaning up the fireplace a little easier. If you don't have a couple hundred bucks to spend on a dedicated fireplace vacuum right now, then here's another (cheaper) cleanup solution:

The fireplace ash tray sits on the floor of your firebox.  When you're burning a fire, the ashes fall through your grate and onto the tray.  Once the fire is out and the grate is cool, all you have to do is slide out the tray and dump the ashes.  The handy tool eliminates the need for a shovel, vacuum, broom, etc., and it's expandable to fit different sized fireplaces.

$30 over at the Improvements Catalog.

Improve Outdoor Fires with Wood Fireplace Grate

A fireplace grate is the metal grill with little legs that raises your logs off the ground or floor of the hearth.  If you have an indoor fireplace, it likely came with a grate (if not, you can pick them up cheaply online).  Grates are useful because they allow oxygen to circulate under the fire (fires burn hottest and best when there's plenty of air getting to them).  But when we're building fires outside, whether in a fire pit, chiminea, or just in a ring of stones, we rarely lift the logs off the ground.

A wood fireplace grate can be used in outdoor fire pits and such, too, and the added oxygen flow can make it a lot easier to keep the fire going.  It's also easier to find a place to stick newspaper and kindling where it won't be crushed by the weight of the logs. 

So, if you're having trouble, just grab the grate from your indoor fireplace, use it for your outdoor fire, and see if it helps.

Cozy Electric Heater Looks Like Wood Stove, Fits in Compact Spaces

If you love the look of a cozy wood-burning stove, but you live in an apartment, condo, or house without a chimney (and you don't want to spend thousands of dollars to have a real wood stove installed), then you may enjoy this electric heater from Dimplex. 

Costing less than $200, the Dimplex CS3311 Compact Electric Stove is a heck of a lot less than a real stove (trust me, I was just shopping for one!), but it has the ambient look and feel of true logs crackling in the hearth.

And it gives out warmth too. The fan-forced heater distributes 5,115 BTUs of heat, plenty to warm a room, and unlike the "real deal," there is no venting required.

There's an adjustable thermostat, so you can choose how warm you want it to be, but the controls are hidden so they won't break up the illusion that this is a real wood stove. There's also a remote control, so you can lounge on the couch and turn your "fire" on and off from across the room (just try to do that with a real fire).

Most of the reviews for the Dimplex are positive, so check it out if you're in the market for an electric heater that looks like a fireplace instead of an ugly old space heater!

Dimplex Electric Stove

Cooking on a Fireplace Insert? Choose a Model with a Cooktop!

You probably wouldn't be surprised to learn that many wood stoves have flat surfaces on top that heat up nicely and can be used for cooking, but have you ever seen someone cook on a fireplace insert? 

It's true that most inserts are designed to fit fully into the firebox, sitting flush with the surround, so there isn't space for a frying pan on top, but some manufacturers are offering inserts that stick out a bit, creating a shelf area on top, which you can cook on.  This can be great if you want the option of cooking with a wood fire when the power is out (or if you just want to cut down on electricity usage and you're heating with wood already).  You can have that added use without buying a stove that sticks out into the room (if you've got a fireplace and chimney anyway, it's a bit silly to stick a stove in front of it).

Here are some pictures of inserts with cooking surfaces:

The Lopi Republic 1750 fireplace insert comes with a cooktop and can completely heat a medium-sized home or provide zone heating in large houses.

Lopi Stoves

 The Regency I 2400 Wood Fireplace Insert also includes a cooktop space on top. It can heat up to 2,000 square feet, and can go 8 hours between load times, so have this puppy warming your home all night and then fry some eggs on the cooktop in the morning!

Regency Fire

Does anyone have any other companies and models of fireplace inserts with cooktops that they'd recommend?

Corn Stove Inserts?

If you're looking for an alternative way to heat your home, you may consider a corn stove.  Corn stoves work similar to pellet stoves, but, as you might guess, burn corn instead of wood. Depending on where you live, corn may be less expensive than pellets or heating with traditional resources (natural gas/electric).  Definitely compare fuels in your area before deciding on an insert, boiler, or free-standing unit, and also make sure to inquire as to availability. 

As you can see from the picture, a corn stove insert can fit into your hearth just as well as a wood insert.  Some manufacturers use faux logs in their stoves (much the same as with gas inserts) in order to simulate the look of a wood-burning fireplace.  In the background, though, corn is providing the heat for your home.

Since corn is an easily renewable resource, many consider it more environmentally friendly than wood.  According to the manufacturers, it burns more cleanly as well (though you may want to do some independent research and get the lowdown from unbiased sources).  Here are a couple articles worth checking out:

• Fire up the corn stove, and pay less for heat
• Corn stove entry at Wikipedia (there's a bit on the environmental impact of heating with corn)
• I heat my house by burning corn (the perspective from a homeowner using a corn stove)

Cost of Corn Stove Inserts

Corn stoves and inserts are comparable in cost to wood-burning and gas units.  Expect to pay $800-$2,000 for a new unit (plus installation costs). 

Since the cost of corn varies a lot from place to place, you should look at prices and availability in your area to determine whether or not you can save money by switching to this alternative fuel.