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Wood-to-Gas Fireplace Conversion in Seattle, Tacoma & Everett
Turn the wood fireplace you never use into gas heat you will: chimney check, liner, damper clamp, log set or insert. Free quote, same-day often available.
- Free 2nd-opinion quotes
- Price match + 10–25% discount
- Same-day service often available
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A wood-burning fireplace that sits cold all winter is the most common fireplace in the Puget Sound. Converting it to gas means no wood, no ash, no creosote, and heat at the flick of a switch. But the conversion is not just dropping a burner in the firebox. The chimney has to be sound and suited to gas exhaust, the damper has to be fixed open or the flue sealed, the gas has to get to the hearth, and the unit you choose decides how much of the old chimney you keep using.
This page covers the whole decision: whether your chimney can take gas, which route makes sense, and what the job involves. The two end results are described in more detail on their own pages: a vented gas log set in the open firebox, or a sealed gas fireplace insert with its own liner. If you want a new gas fireplace somewhere with no chimney at all, see gas fireplace installation.
Our qualified technician handles the chimney and the appliance; a qualified gas fitter runs the gas piping. We serve Seattle, Tacoma, Everett and the road-accessible Puget Sound from our Renton office. The quote is free, a second-opinion quote is free, and we price match a written quote and take 10–25% off. Call 206-453-2045.
Symptoms
Signs you need gas fireplace conversion
- A wood fireplace you have not lit in years because of the mess or the smoke
- Firewood that is hard to store, wet, or expensive to buy in the city
- A fireplace that fills the room with smoke or leaves it colder once the fire dies
- An aging masonry chimney you would rather not keep sweeping and repairing
- A desire for fireplace heat you can run daily and control with a thermostat
- A real-estate or insurance request to stop burning wood in an old flue
- Burn bans that keep the wood fireplace off on the coldest nights
Common causes
- Open wood fireplaces lose most of their heat up the flue and pull warm room air with it
- Softwood and slow fires build creosote fast, so a wood flue needs regular sweeping
- Older unlined or clay-tile flues are expensive to keep safe for wood
- Gas heat can be zoned, timed and thermostat-controlled in a way a wood fire cannot
- A sealed gas insert can make a drafty old fireplace the most efficient heat in the house
How It Works
Our gas fireplace conversion process
Every conversion starts with a chimney inspection, because the flue decides what is possible. Our technician scopes the flue with a camera, checks the firebox, smoke chamber and damper, and looks at the chimney top. A sound, lined flue can take a vented log set with the damper clamped open. A flue with cracked tiles or no liner points toward an insert with its own direct-vent liner, which bypasses the old flue entirely. We also trace where gas can reach the hearth. You get a written summary of what we found, which route we recommend and why, and a free quote for it.
Chimney inspection and free quote
Our technician camera-scopes the flue and checks the firebox, damper and chimney top, then quotes the conversion route that fits your chimney.
Choose log set or insert
We walk you through an open vented log set versus a sealed insert, with the cost, heat output and chimney implications of each.
Chimney prep
Any needed sweep, liner, damper clamp or top-seal is done first so the gas appliance goes into a chimney that is ready for it.
Gas line to the hearth
A qualified gas fitter routes and pressure tests the gas line to the firebox; we coordinate the path so it stays concealed.
Install the appliance
Our technician sets the burner and logs or the insert and its liner, connects the gas, and places the media to the manufacturer's pattern.
Fire-up and walkthrough
We light the unit, verify flame and draft, check the connections we made, and show you the controls.
Options
Repair and service options
There are two ways to convert, and the right one depends on your chimney and what you want from the fireplace:
- Vented gas log set: a burner and ceramic logs placed in the open firebox, venting up the existing flue with the damper permanently clamped open. Lowest cost, most realistic flame, keeps the look of the open fireplace, but it is ambiance first and heat second because the flue stays open. Details on gas log installation.
- Gas fireplace insert: a sealed, glass-fronted unit slid into the firebox with its own flexible liner run up the old chimney. Much higher heat output and efficiency, and the old flue no longer carries exhaust. Details on gas fireplace insert.
- Chimney work that may come with it: a sweep before any gas goes in, a liner if the flue is not fit for gas exhaust, a damper clamp or a top-sealing damper, and a cap that keeps rain out of a flue that now sees less heat.
- Reversibility: a log set can be removed and the fireplace returned to wood after an inspection; an insert conversion is more involved to reverse.
We quote both routes when both are possible. If you are not happy, we are not done.
Pricing
What affects the price
- Log set versus insert, and the size and features of the unit
- Condition of the flue and whether a liner is needed before gas goes in
- Whether the chimney needs a sweep, damper clamp, cap or top-seal first
- Distance and routing from the gas supply to the hearth
- Firebox size and whether the insert needs a surround panel to close the opening
- Electrical for a blower, if the unit has one
- Permit fees where they apply
Every chimney is different, so you get a written quote after we look at the system. Ask about our price match and free second-opinion quote.
Safety & Seattle Conditions
Safety considerations
If you smell gas, leave the house, do not switch anything on or off, and call your gas utility or 911 from outside. That is the only action a homeowner should take. The burner, valve, pilot, gas line and damper clamp are all set and tested by our qualified technician or a qualified gas fitter; please do not adjust any of them yourself.
The damper matters more than people expect. A vented log set must have the damper fixed open so exhaust always has a path out, and we install a permanent clamp for that reason. Once converted, do not burn wood in the firebox; the appliance and any liner are made for gas only. A gas conversion may need a permit; we will tell you. NFPA 211 recommends an annual inspection of chimneys, fireplaces and vents, and that continues to apply after a conversion.
Seattle & Puget Sound conditions
Conversions are common in the region's older masonry homes. Tacoma's median home dates to 1967, Shoreline's to 1969, Edmonds' to 1974 and Seattle's to 1976, and many of those houses have a brick fireplace with an unlined or clay-tile flue that was built for wood. Those are the chimneys where a camera inspection decides between a log set and an insert with its own liner.
Wet weather is part of the case for converting. With roughly 150–156 days a year of measurable precipitation at Sea-Tac and November alone averaging 6.31 inches, firewood stored outside is rarely dry, and wet wood burned slowly is how creosote builds. A gas appliance takes that problem off the table, though the chimney still needs a cap and an annual look because 40.34 inches of rain a year finds any open flue.
Our Work
Gas Fireplace Conversion in action
Ready to stop hauling wood? Get a free conversion quote.
Chimney inspection, log set or insert, liner and damper clamp by our qualified technician. Price match plus 10–25% off. Call 206-453-2045.
☎ 206-453-2045 Request a QuoteQuestions
Gas Fireplace Conversion FAQ
Can any wood fireplace be converted to gas?
Most masonry fireplaces can, but the route depends on the chimney. A sound, lined flue can take a vented log set. A flue with damaged tiles or no liner is usually better served by an insert with its own liner, which does not rely on the old flue. Factory-built wood fireplaces are more limited and must use a unit listed for that firebox. The inspection tells us which applies.
Gas logs or a gas insert: which should I choose?
Choose a log set if you mainly want the look of a fire at the lowest cost and do not mind that most heat goes up the open flue. Choose an insert if you want the fireplace to actually heat the room and run it often; it is sealed, efficient, and stops using the old flue. Many customers who start by asking about logs end up with an insert once they see the heating difference.
Do I still need the chimney after converting to gas?
Yes, in both cases. A vented log set exhausts up the existing flue, so the flue must be sound and the damper clamped open. An insert runs its own liner up the chimney, so the masonry still has to be structurally fine and capped. The chimney gets less heat and no creosote, but it still needs a cap and an annual inspection.
Why does the damper have to be clamped open?
A vented gas log set produces exhaust and carbon monoxide that must always have a way out. If someone closed the damper with the logs running, that exhaust would enter the room. The clamp makes it impossible to close the damper fully, which is why it is part of every vented log installation we do. An insert does not need one because it vents through its own sealed liner.
Can I change my mind and go back to wood?
With a log set, usually yes: the burner and clamp are removed, the gas is capped by a qualified gas fitter, and the flue is inspected before wood is burned again. An insert conversion involves a liner and often a surround panel, so reversing it is a bigger job. If you might want wood again, tell us before we quote.
Do I need a permit to convert to gas?
A conversion adds a gas appliance and may need a permit depending on your city or county. We tell you what applies at your address and handle the paperwork where it is needed. It is worth having the record if you sell the house.
How long does a conversion take?
A log set into a ready chimney is often done in a day once the gas line is in place. An insert with a new liner is usually one to two days. Chimney prep such as a sweep or liner adds time, and the gas line depends on the fitter's route. Same-day inspection visits are often available, and the quote is free.
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