Both options can provide significant heat to an area of the home and, in some cases, heat an entire home. The difference between these two options will be very specific to your needs and can be broken down into a few categories:
Availability of Fuel:
Wood – Do you harvest your own wood? Have access to a reliable supplier? Space to store wood? These are important questions when considering purchasing a wood stove. It’s important that you have access to dry, seasoned, wood to run your stove clean and at peak efficiency.
Gas – Are you a natural gas customer with service from your municipality? Or are you currently using a liquid propane delivery service? If you have liquid propane service at your home, is the tank able to be accessed directly from the area where you’d like to install a stove? Gas stoves are very convenient but, they require a gas line to be run to them, which can be an issue if there’s not a direct path from the location of your tank.
Heating Needs:
Wood – wood stoves tend to produce higher BTUs, making them a great option for primary heat source in a large area. Wood stoves, of course, require building a fire and maintaining that fire.
Gas – gas stoves are very convenient, easy to use, and reliable. Most of the options that Frost & Flame offers can be activated remotely with the push of a button. Though they’re very capable heaters, gas stoves can be sized appropriately and turned down to accommodate any supplemental heating need.
Venting Options:
Wood – Wood stoves require a chimney for venting. This can be achieved with a traditional masonry chimney or with a manufactured Class A chimney system. Bear in mind when considering a wood stove that you may have to make an investment in the chimney system in order to be able to install one in your home.
Gas – Gas appliances are very versatile in their venting ability. They can be vented directly out a wall, up a chimney, or into their own vertical chimney systems, depending on the application. This allows for installation in virtually any area as long as safe clearances can be maintained.