Fireplace and chimney - value vs function

[Rain Man]

Originally Posted by O.city

I’ve got a gas one upstairs in the kitchen eating area that we rarely use but a real wood one in the basement that I’ve been using a lot lately.

I’m just a fan of the real wood heat and smell but it is kind of a pain to have to clean and such

My house in high school had a wood stove in the basement, and it somehow became my job to get/keep the fire going after I got home from school. It was a major pain in the ash.

I got home from school around 3:30 and went to work around 4:30, and my mom got home around 5:00. They wanted it roaring by the time she got home. If the fire was still going it wasn't terrible - just put some more wood in it and stir it around. But if the fire had gone out, which was a 50/50 proposition, I'd spend half an hour messing with it, which was generally my only free time of the day. Having a wood stove is a great way to get your teenage kid to move out of the house if you want to launch them.