Circular Gas Fireplaces

Circular gas fireplaces are a superb way of making the most of the heat that is produced by a roaring fire. When more of the fire is exposed to the room, more of the heat will radiate and warm the room, as opposed to going up and out the chimney.

These same principles are what make corner fireplaces and u-shaped fireplaces so nice. These types of fireplaces increase the draft of air that reaches the fire itself. This also effects a hotter burning fire, as more oxygen is fed to the fire.

Another effect that a circular, u-shaped or corner fireplace has is that the fuel will be used up much faster. This is not always the case, but you should be aware of the possibility if the cost or availability of fireplace fuel may be a problem.

Fuel doesn't necessarily have to be used up much faster in these configurations. Particularly for the u-shaped and corner placed fireplaces, the use of draft vets and fireplace doors or curtains can counter the effect of increased fresh air drafts.

Of course changing the amount of air that is let in by draft vents and the like will generally also impact the amount of heat that is allowed to escape into the room as well. It may take some time to carefully balance these and other factors until you find just the right combination.

One of the most unique circular gas fireplaces that I've seen is a circular globe fireplace. Made of metal, and suitable for either gas or wood burning fires, this globe shaped fireplace is split horizontally in the middle, with each half separated from the other by a few feet. This is where the fire goes.

The globe circular fireplace that I saw looked as though the top portion of the globe was suspended in midair, where the bottom portion had an elegant metallic brazier effect. This circular fireplace was called a globe fireplace because on each half was affixed metallic landmasses representing the continents of the earth.

This globe fireplace was made of a particularly dark metal of some kin so that the base and top portion where it attached to the ceiling seemed to subtly fade into the distance, rather than ending abruptly. Of course the fact that all attention is instantly drawn to the fire helps this effect as well.

The type of fireplace like this that I've seen was situated half inside one great hall type of room, with the other half protruding into two smaller rooms, such that each corner of those rooms had access to the warmth and glow of the fire. Of course these were also main rooms where privacy was not a critical factor.

I've heard stories about two-sided fireplaces in bedrooms where visitors were able to accidentally view the activities of the other room. --certainly not a situation that anyone wants to discover on their own.

One of the nicest things about a circular electric fireplace is that the fire is visible from all sides of the fireplace. This makes it a wonderful type of fireplace for positioning in the middle of a large room or collection of rooms.