Converting a Massillon Wood-Burning Fireplace to Gas

First, What Kind of Wood Fireplace Do You Have?

The answer shapes everything else. A masonry fireplace is built from brick or stone on site, with a firebrick interior and a masonry chimney. These are common in older Massillon homes. A factory-built fireplace, sometimes called prefab or zero-clearance, is a metal box with a metal chimney pipe, framed into the wall. These became very common in homes built from the 1970s onward. You can usually tell by looking inside: firebrick panels set in a metal frame and a round metal flue overhead point to a factory-built unit.

Factory-built units carry a label, often inside the firebox or behind a panel, listing the manufacturer and which gas products are approved for use with them. That label matters, because not every factory-built fireplace is listed to accept a gas insert.

Three Paths From Wood to Gas

Most of our conversion customers want real heat and no drafts, which points to one of the first two options.

A gas insert

A sealed direct-vent insert fits inside the existing firebox and vents through liners run up the old chimney. It is the most efficient conversion and keeps your existing surround. It works well in masonry fireplaces and in factory-built units listed to accept one.

A full replacement fireplace

We remove the old factory-built box and chimney pipe and install a new direct-vent gas fireplace in the same framed opening. This is often the best answer when a prefab wood unit is rusted, damaged or not approved for an insert. Expect some drywall and surround work.

A decorative log set

Gas logs sit in the open firebox for the look of a fire with less heat. That is a separate service; see our Massillon gas log installation page if that is what you are after.

How a Conversion Project Runs

Wood-burning fireplaces leave creosote behind, and that residue has a strong smell once warmed. Sweeping before a liner goes in keeps the new gas unit from smelling like old smoke.

• Free estimate: identify the fireplace type, measure it and check the gas service
• Chimney sweep and inspection, especially for a masonry chimney that burned wood for years
• Approve the unit, vent plan and gas line route
• Run the gas branch with a shutoff valve to the fireplace location
• Install the insert and liners, or remove the old box and set the new fireplace
• Connect, pressure-test, light and walk you through the controls

Bringing Gas to a Fireplace That Never Had It

Wood fireplaces have no gas supply, so the line is new work. In most Massillon homes, we come up from the basement through the floor beside the hearth or through the side of the firebox, depending on what the unit allows. We size the run for the fireplace's input along with your existing appliances and make sure the shutoff is easy to reach. For homes with older or undersized piping, our Massillon gas line service can upgrade it at the same time. Rural properties on propane can use our propane piping service.

After the Switch

A converted fireplace needs far less upkeep than a wood fireplace. No ashes, no wood storage, and no annual creosote worries for the gas unit itself. It still benefits from a fall cleaning of the burner and pilot and a check of the liners and cap. Our gas fireplace service page lists what that visit includes.