Fireplace Replaces Space

After a lot of indecision, supply problems and scheduling issues, we finally recalibrated our basement's coziness index last month by installing a replacement iron stove - this time a gas one.

We had started looking at this Berkshire model from Lopi in Washington state back in September, even before the old wood-burning stove had left the premises. Unfortunately, stoves and fireplaces rank right up there with new dogs on the "what my household needs to endure the pandemic" list, so it took months for Fireplaces by Weiss-Johnson to get one sorted out for us. 

Once they did though, booking the appointment was no big deal, and the cheerful crew figured out how to use the existing chimney as both the exhaust and fresh air intake for the new stove, and they had the whole shebang carted in and installed in under five hours. And I have to say, we are all very happy with how it looks.

Now, I am not going to say that this digitally-controlled, gas-burning mechanism is superior to a wood fire, because the pride of a successful ignition, the crackling of burning logs, the necessity of taking a poker to the flames periodically - these are all things I was loath to give up, and look forward to doing them all the next time I am in a campground. 

But having said that, the speed, convenience, efficiency and especially the cleanliness of a gas stove all have their own charms as well. Not having to endure a cold room because it is not worth the time and effort to put a wood fire together is now a distant memory because we can ignite this one with a literal push of a button. 

It even has a built-in thermostat you can set to maintain a specific room temperature as opposed to careening between too hot and too cold like the rumpus room equivalent of Goldilock's porridge. As a means of heating a basement that tends to be on the cool side, it is vastly superior to both the previous stove and the similarly shaped electric space heater we purchased and over-used last winter while I was working from home (which I will be continuing to do until at least January 2022).

The flames don't really have that almost hypnotic quality that wood fires seem to possess, but they are soothing nonetheless, and we have had many occasions to use the Berkshire as Edmonton slowly muscles its way through multiple false springs.

Most fascinatingly to me, the fireplace came with replacement embers - synthetic rock-looking accessories that add a convincing level of detail to the illusion of a wood fire. 

They even maintain their glow for a few moments after the flames are extinguished. Clearly, some sort of sorcery is at work here.

The worst part of all this though is that the pandemic means that this remote-controlled hearth can bring no succour to our friends or relatives since protective measures are increasing and the third-wave gets a toehold that seems ever stronger.

But sunnier times are coming anyways, and when the all-clear is finally sounded, and temperatures are no doubt lower than they are now, it is a comfort to know that our eventual visitors will find our basement cozier than it has been in years.