Tim,

I agree that there are many health hazards out there and you can't avoid all
of them. But every house I've ever walked into that burned wood had a very
strong smoke smell to the house and the air was very, very dry. My wife and
myself can't tolerate the smoke that is added to the air we breathe. My
father-in-law burs wood in his house in Vermont (too cheap to use the
propane and he has cash) and we stopped going because of the stove. We
would wake up with dry throats and the smoke smell became sickening. I also
have a wood burning insert and stopped using it. My ceilings also needed to
be painted not to mention all the mess that goes with wood - dirt, bugs and
trying to get the darn thing lit. Personally I think gas logs are the way
to go. But some people like to be fire tenders and save money. Although,
I'm not sure how much they can save........PS HD sells wood pellets for most
stoves. These pellets burn super clean. This might be an alternative to
wood. Bugs don't eat the stuff and it doesn't freeze together like wood or
rot.


I hope you don't live or ever go to a major city. I wouldn't want you to
wreck your virgin lungs on any of that nasty smog....in fact I hope you
don't drive a car or work in an office, those might be detrimental to your
health too.