Converting an old Galveston wood firebox to sealed gas

Plenty of Galveston homes have a 1970s or 1980s prefab firebox nobody has lit in a decade.

Conversion starts with an honest look at the existing chase and flue. If the metal firebox is rusted or the chase is out of plumb, we replace rather than adapt.

A sealed direct vent unit brings in combustion air from outside and exhausts through a coaxial pipe. Nothing from your house goes up the flue, so you stop heating the neighborhood.

The gas line is the part homeowners underestimate: sizing, sediment trap, shutoff placement and pressure testing all get permitted and inspected.

Then the fun part — a new surround in brick, stone or cast stone with a hearth extension and mantel proportioned to the wall.

Typical Galveston conversion runs two to four days from demo to first fire.