I moved into a new house last spring. My fireplace has a gas line, with an exterior key to turn the gas on. How can I determine if I can burn wood (gas starter) or if it is gas only? Is there a way to? Or should I just have a chimney / fireplace company come out to take a look?

is there anything in the fireplace currently?

Mine has a little metal plate on the inside lip up near the flue opening that states the fuels it can burn. It looks like the kind of thing that would be required on all newer sets. Maybe yours has one?

There is a single gas line that runs along the bottom with slits for the gas and capped at one end. Over that is your typical grate (or whatever it's called) that you place logs on (gas logs? woods logs?). Otherwise it is completely empty It has a round flue that opens and shuts with a chimney that vents through the roof. The inside of the fireplace appears to be covered in soot, which to me would indicate that wood has been burned before. But I'm just not sure. The house was built in 2009.

If you aren't sure when it has been done, you probably want a chimney sweep to come out and inspect/clean. They would be able to give you a lot of information

Might be a good idea to get a chimney sweep to come out to clean and inspect it to ensure it's safe to use. They should be able to clarify your fireplace use options, etc!

sounds like a gas starter for burning wood, but getting a professional opinion is always a good practice, especially when it comes to fire and gas.

Thanks guys. I appreciate the responses. Looks like I'll just go with my first inclination, and call someone out to look it all over.

Wouldn't most wood burning fireplaces have an ash trap/cleanout?

Mine doesn't.

Never really paid attention to that before. Interesting.

If it is on an exterior wall there should be a vent on the other side of the fireplace that provides air to fuel the fire if it is wood burning.

Another vote for the chimney sweep inspection. I always think this is a good idea for any fireplace you haven't used before.

Not to hijack the thread, but can anyone recommend a company in Houston to come out and perform an inspection? We've never used ours since we bought our house (Summer 2017) and I noticed last night that the gas line at the bottom of the fireplace isn't capped so that's something that will need to be taken care of as well.

Mine does not as well. Now I want an ash trap. Just cleaned out my fireplace ash the other day.

It's a gas starter. Ok for wood or gas logs. Do not change out the grate. It is sized for that particular unit.

Boats and Hose said:

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Not to hijack the thread, but can anyone recommend a company in Houston to come out and perform an inspection? We've never used ours since we bought our house (Summer 2017) and I noticed last night that the gas line at the bottom of the fireplace isn't capped so that's something that will need to be taken care of as well.

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Masters Chimney

Actually you might need a plumber for messing with the gas line.