Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: WEDNESDAY, December 21, 1994                   TAG: 9412220029
SECTION: BUSINESS                    PAGE: B8   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: SANDRA BROWN KELLY
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Medium

SURPRISING SUM OF MONEY ROASTING ON A GAS-LOG FIRE

Like several hundred other Roanoke-area residents who already had gas heat, I thought gas logs might assure continuous warmth even if winter storms cut off the electricity, which is needed to run all types of furnaces.

I might have done better to move south.

The decision to own gas logs is a lot like making up your mind to get a pet. In each case, visions of pleasure obscure the reality of things like poop scooping or, in this case, installation costs.

Selecting the logs is, of course, the first hurdle.

Salespeople asked, "Do you want a blue flame or a yellow flame?" I just stood there and said, "Yeah. Well, I don't know. What's the difference?"

Never had I considered the color of the flame. I look better in blue than in yellow, but I don't think that's a factor here.

There was also the question, "Do you want vented or unvented logs?"

Vented logs have been around a long time. They require the same kind of chimney safety and open fireplace damper as does a wood fire. Also, a lot of the heat will go up the chimney. Unvented logs are a relatively new item and, despite their name, require some ventilation.

Then there's the question of whether you want a blower on your logs.

"Ma'am, do you want these for looks or heat?" one slightly exasperated sales guy asked when I didn't know how to answer the blower question.

Once these things are decided, you can pick up your box of logs and head home. But don't settle in too quickly for a cozy evening by the fire.

Next, you must find a company to install the logs at a price that you can stomach. One co-worker's first estimate was $800. She finally got the work done for $200.

Until the bill is left today, I won't know the final cost for my logs, but a good estimate is several hundred bucks. That's atop about $300 for the logs.

And I worried for a while the day the plumbing and heating man came. He unpacked the box, scrutinized the burner and did a couple of "ums." At last he said, "OK, I can do these." He wanted to see if the logs had an oxygen-depletion sensor; he said he won't install those that don't.

And, finally, he took me over to the fireplace and said that building codes require that a gas-cutoff valve be installed outside the fireplace. "The screen will cover it," he said.

"Oh, oh," I thought, "I'm so happy I'm getting gas logs. I'm so happy, I could almost cry."

At least, for something like 25 to 50 cents an hour, I can weep in front of my fire.