Keep Your Fireplace Ambiance, and Boost its Warmth, With a Fireplace Insert!

On a frigid Washington County day, nothing “warms” up a room (metaphorically speaking) like a blazing fireplace. The light, sound and movement all combine for a romantic, relaxing atmosphere.

Unfortunate reality is, an open-hearth woodburning fireplace hardly warms a room. Up to 90 percent of the fire’s heat escapes through the chimney. An open fire actually pulls more heat out of a space than it could ever return. Homeowners endure a fire risk from airborne sparks landing on flammable surfaces, as well.

Like to make your fireplace experience safer, far warmer and more comfortable with a sleek, highly-efficient fireplace insert in Washington County!

Going directly into the fireplace opening, a fireplace insert for a woodburning fireplace is a self-contained component that propels heat directly into a room, rather than sending most up a chimney. The fire is visible via a glass panel. The ambiance remains – along with far more warmth!

Homeowners can select between gas fireplace inserts and wood fireplace inserts. Both are available from Butler Chimneys, your fireplace and chimney inspection company in Washington County. 

Which fireplace insert is for you?

 

A gas insert is ideal for those who want immediate, low-maintenance fire. The fire literally ignites at the flip of a switch. Available in a wide array of designs, gas fireplace inserts are fast, clean, and minimal work to operate and maintain.

A woodburning fireplace insert produces significantly more heat than gas. The work involved is much greater, though. A fire has to be physically lit, wood added, and air controls adjusted to control the blaze. Because it burns so thoroughly, a wood fireplace insert consumes much less timber than an open-hearth setup. For those with unlimited or cheap sources of firewood in Washington County, a wood burning insert can be additional heating source for a home.

The decision between gas or woodburning is purely user preference. Many Washington County homeowners proactively put in insert-style fireplaces for greater heat and cleanliness, often when designing homes.

The alternative scenario for adding an insert is when a fireplace inspection reveals cracked or missing flue tiles. Installing a brand-new insert will bypass many issues, and is often less expensive than making repairs. The decision might not be difficult.

Fireplace inserts are made of heavy-gauge sheet steel. The doors are cast iron, which allows great heat conduction. Fire is completely enclosed within, seen through ceramic glass, and can be left unattended.

Smoke is exhausted through a new stainless steel liner added inside the chimney. Wood fireplace inserts use a single 6-inch liner; gas, two 3-inch liners, one for delivering air to the firebox, and another for expelling gases.

Butler Chimneys typically installs fireplace inserts – gas or wood – in homes in Washington County in one day. If the former is added, a new fuel line is run from a gas source elsewhere in the house.

New stainless steel chimney liners have lifetime warranties. Their installation can sometimes permit homeowners to bypass costly chimney repairs that would otherwise be needed to ensure safe venting of fireplace gases.

Another benefit of fireplace inserts? If power goes out, they remain a steady, reliable heat source. In severe weather, they can literally be a lifesaver.

Ready to look into a fireplace insert? Contact Butler Chimneys. You’ll appreciate the ambiance of a fireplace … and a far warmer, more comfortable space around you!