The Eco-friendly Benefits of an Indoor Gel Fireplace
Although a wood-burning fireplace was once seen as a staple in a traditional home, today homeowners are bringing the fireplace into question. While a fireplace was formerly considered a desired upgrade in a home or an apartment, especially in an urban city like New York, a chimney is now shunned by many as environmentally irresponsible.
How Does a Fireplace Harm the Environment?
Yes, it's true. A seemingly innocent wood-burning fire-place can wreak havoc on the environment. Although smoke from a fire may smell wonderful, creating a rustic atmosphere in a home, it will release tiny particles into the environment and within a home that can even cause inflammation and illness in the body.
Any time you burn wood in a fire place, you create pollution. If this is something that is done occasionally, it may not be a serious concern to you. But burning a fire in your home on a daily basis is a grave hazard for your health and the environment.
To sum it up, the Green Blizzard couldn't have said it better. A wood-burning fire is classified as "one of the most environmentally unfriendly winter customs" that can greatly add to your carbon footprint. And according to the EPA, lighting a fire in an indoor fireplace contributes to 62% of aromatic hydrocarbon emissions, a dangerous environmental carcinogen.
Eco-Friendly Fireplace Alternatives: Indoor Gel Fuel Fireplaces
Before you throw in the towel and give up burning winter fires altogether, there are alternatives that you can consider to a traditional fire-place. One of the newest trends in the industry is the indoor gel fireplace that uses gel fire-place logs. Gel fireplaces burn clean without harmful emissions, while still providing the same comfort and ambience of a crackling fire.
Many homeowners appreciate the fact that gel fuel fireplaces are easy to clean and maintain each year. While a chimney must be professionally cleaned by a chimneysweep in order to minimize highly flammable creosote buildup, a gel fuel fireplace doesn't pose the same issue. Additionally, a gel fireplace doesn't require an airflow device or a waterproofing fluke in order to operate.
When burning a gel fireplace indoors, you'll no longer have to worry about your family's health or the potential for creating outdoor air pollution. Gel fireplaces burn clean without any smoke, completely eliminating harmful byproducts created when burning wood in an indoor fire.
Last but not least, the convenience of a gel fireplace can't be overlooked. Most units are freestanding and portable so that they can be moved from room to room, depending on preference. Instead of pulling chairs around the fire in the living room to warm your hands, you can bring the gel fireplace to you by rolling it into the center of the room as a cozy focal point on a cold winter's night.
For homeowners who are concerned about their environmental impact, as well as homeowners without a built-in fireplace, a gel fireplace provides the best of both worlds. You'll still get to celebrate the season with a crackling indoor fire without having to worry about harmful indoor and outdoor pollution!
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