Maintain Your Fireplace Ambiance, and Increase its Heat, With a Fireplace Insert!

On a chilly Oak Hill day, nothing “warms” up a room (metaphorically speaking) like a blazing fireplace. The light, sound and movement all blend for a romantic, relaxing ambiance.

Unfortunate truth is, an open-hearth woodburning fireplace barely warms a space. Up to 90 percent of the fire’s heat goes up the chimney. An open fire actually draws 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 Oak Hill!

Going right into the fireplace opening, a fireplace insert for a woodburning fireplace is a self-contained component that sends heat directly into a room, rather than sending most through a chimney. The fire can be seen through a glass panel. The ambiance stays – along with far more warmth!

Homeowners can choose between gas fireplace inserts and wood fireplace inserts. Both are available from Butler Chimneys, your fireplace and chimney inspection company in Oak Hill. 

Which fireplace insert is for you?

 

A gas insert is custom-made for those who want instant, low-maintenance fire. The fire literally turns on at the flip of a switch. Available in a wide selection of designs, gas fireplace inserts are fast, clean, and little work to operate and maintain.

A woodburning fireplace insert emits significantly more heat than gas. The work required is much greater, though. A fire has to be physically lit, wood added, and air controls adjusted to moderate the blaze. Because it burns so thoroughly, a wood fireplace insert uses much less timber than an open-hearth setup. For those with unlimited or cheap access to firewood in Oak Hill, a wood burning insert can be noticeably) more cost-effective, and a nice {supplemental heating source for a home.

The choice between gas or woodburning is entirely user preference. Many Oak Hill homeowners proactively install insert-style fireplaces for greater heat and cleanliness, often when constructing homes.

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

Fireplace inserts are made of heavy-gauge sheet steel. The doors are cast iron, which allows highly-effective 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 regularly installs fireplace inserts – gas or wood – in homes in Oak Hill 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 carry lifetime warranties. Their installation can sometimes allow homeowners to avoid pricey 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 ponder a fireplace insert? Contact Butler Chimneys. You’ll enjoy the ambiance of a fireplace … and a far warmer, more comfortable space around you!