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It used to be that you could only have a fire if you had a chimney. Then you had to chop wood and haul logs and clean out ashes and check dampers and worry about birds and squirrels and fat men in red suits getting stuck inside and wreaking all kinds of havoc. Frankly, I'm waaaay too lazy to put up with all that. Then the gas and electric versions came along, but the smell of the gas always bothered me, and I just don't think the electric ones are very realistic. (If you have electric fireplace and you love it, I don't mean to insult it. I'm sure it's lovely. I just like actual fire in my fireplace. Different stokes).
Anyway, once you toss out wood burning and gas and electric, that tends to leave your fireplace options pretty slim. So I did a little research, and I found...gel fuel! I'd never heard of it before, but it seems that these fireplaces are designed to fit little pint-sized (not as in small, but as in the actual size of a pint) cans of alcohol jelly stuff that you can light on fire. (Think Sterno cans underneath buffet trays). They don't smell, they only release a little bit of water vapor, they're easy to start and stop, and there's no cleanup. Personally, we have Sunjel "with realistic wood crackle!". I vary between 1-3 cans at a time, depending on if I want a small fire or a roaring one. Just remove the paper wrapper from the can, pop the top off, and light the gel inside on fire. Each can burns for about 2.5 hours, but if you decide you'd rather cut it short, just pop the lid back on, and save the rest of your fuel for another day. When the can is empty, the fire goes out, and you toss the can in the recycler. The cans are hidden behind the genuine fake logs, so you never see them in the fireplace. The best part is that they require no venting, and they're portable, so you can have a fireplace in your bedroom, bathroom, living room, etc. (Just drag it from room to room if you want).
I bought mine online from this site, we love your home. I did the 2 Burn "build your own" kit, which is basically just the firebox, log rack, fake logs, and screen. They have mantles that you can buy along with them, but what fun is that? You can just as easily build your own. I did a corner fireplace with entertainment center on top. Because the fire doesn't put out much heat (roughly 9,000 BTU/h) it doesn't hurt my TV to be above it.
We bought a case of 48 cans of Sunjel, which has lasted us two years now. I think it comes out to roughly $2 a can, which is nothing compared to the natural gas it takes to run your gas fireplace, or buy and haul firewood.
Amazingly enough, Sunjel hasn't paid me for this glowing endorsement. They have no idea who I am. (But if you come across this, Sunjel people, give me a call...I'm open to becoming the official Sunjel spokeswoman for the right price). This is just one of those products that I found and liked, and thought other people might like too. You're very welcome.
Enjoy your crackling real fire. Now all you need to do is learn the rest of the "Chestnuts" song.
