Every November the Bay Area Air District starts calling Winter Spare the Air alerts, and on an alert day it is illegal to burn wood in your fireplace. The city of Sonoma and the rest of southern Sonoma County sit inside that district. Gas fireplaces are allowed on alert days. That is one reason we see more homeowners in Sonoma ask about converting an old wood-burning fireplace to gas in the fall than at any other time of year.
A recent job in Sonoma
This fireplace had an open brick firebox that someone had painted black years ago, and a hearth that was worn and chipped. It still worked, but it burned wood, it looked tired, and it could not be used on a burn ban day.
We installed a gas insert in the existing firebox and refaced the whole front in white marble, surround and hearth together. The insert gives real heat at the flip of a switch, and the marble turns the fireplace back into the centerpiece of the room.
What a gas conversion involves
- An inspection first. We look at the firebox, the chimney and the flue before recommending anything. An insert needs a sound firebox and a properly sized vent.
- The insert and its venting. A gas insert sits inside the existing firebox and vents through a liner run up the chimney.
- A gas line. If there is no gas at the fireplace already, one has to be run to it.
- The finish. This is where refacing comes in. Marble, tile, stone or plaster all work, and the hearth can be redone at the same time.
The rule to know before a bigger remodel
In the Bay Area Air District, a fireplace or chimney remodel that needs a building permit and costs more than $15,000 has to end with a gas, electric or EPA-certified device. An open wood-burning fireplace does not qualify. Most refacing and insert jobs come in well under that, but if you are planning a full rebuild it is worth knowing before you choose a design. Northern Sonoma County is covered by a different air district with its own rules, so ask us if you are not sure which applies to your home.
Get it done before the first alert
Sierra West Co. has been building, repairing and converting fireplaces in Northern California since 1982, California contractor license #542298. We work throughout Sonoma County, including Sonoma, Petaluma, Rohnert Park, Santa Rosa and Healdsburg. If you want your fireplace ready for this winter, contact us and we will come take a look. You can also see more of our fireplace refacing and gas fireplace installation work.
