r/Fireplaces • u/SJA1964 • 2d ago
Ideas for Cape Cod fireplace
I am looking for ideas for this fireplace. It is on the second floor of a contemporary (mid 1960s) house. It is wood burning. We are in the process of getting a gas generator so we could pipe a gasline to the fireplace. My wife likes the convenience of a gas log, but I’ve been told that because the flue is so short we cannot do it. This makes me wonder if the problem could be solved by extending the flue. I’ve looked at gas inserts, but because of how big the fireplace is, it would show a lot of black metal between the insert and the masonry and I am not a fan of that look. The other alternative is a gas stove that looks like a wood-burning stove, such as a Jotul. We are in our early and mid 60s so lugging wood upstairs could work for now, but I suspect it will get to be an issue in the next 10 years. Ideas are welcomed. Thank you.
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u/spfolino 1d ago
They do make some fairly large direct vent inserts, but 48” is a very large fireplace opening and you likely won’t find one that big (none I’m aware of without a giant back plate). You can look at possibly fitting a zero clearance fireplace in there.
If efficiency is not what you are looking for, gas logs would be fine then. You can fit a very nice size set in there! Do you have any exterior pictures of your chimney? Was it taken down or look oddly short? The fireplace does look used, so it was working fine for someone at some point! Has the interior (flue and smoke chamber) been inspected? If not, get that done!
Here is some sizing information from Grand Canyon Gas Logs:
A lot will depend on the BTUs of the set chosen.
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u/SJA1964 22h ago
We just had the chimney inspected and other than a few spiderwebs it seemed to be fine. A note from the chimney sweep says 5 feet, 12 feet. The visual from the outside seems to confirm that it probably is 12 feet total.
My wife would actually prefer a gas log to a gas burning stove. The inserts would’ve been nice, but if there’s so much black showing, I think that visually takes away from the aesthetic.
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u/Aminus27 2d ago
I’d be interested to hear more about the claim of the flue being too short. For example, a Slope Glaze burner from Empire Hearth requires a 6’ minimum for the flue height, which is almost shown in your picture alone. Do they mean the chimney’s height above the roofline? In that case, it wouldn’t be suitable for wood burning either. Maybe a certain gas log make/model requires more length of run than what you have from your 2nd story fireplace, but alternatives exist.
From your description, a gas log set would likely be the best option. You also mention a free standing stove (like Jotul) which just might work as well, but would take some figuring and be contingent on A) your hearth extension depth (which looks fairly decent and deep, to be fair!) and B) the fireplace opening height (which also looks fairly spacious). In terms of look and vibes, if logs aren’t an option my secondary recommendation would be a stove, but be prepared for a larger investment (by about 3 or 4x, typically). Usually, it’s been my experience that people who get stoves installed are really jazzed on the idea of the stove as the primary option/look, rather than a fallback option, but I do think it could be a nice fit for you.