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

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

Unfortunate truth is, an open-hearth woodburning fireplace hardly heats a room. Up to 90 percent of the fire’s heat is lost through the chimney. An open fire actually pulls more heat out of a space than it could ever return. Homeowners run a fire risk from airborne sparks landing on combustible 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 unit that transfers heat directly into a room, rather than losing most up a chimney. The fire is visible via a glass panel. The ambiance stays – 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 perfect for those who want immediate, low-maintenance fire. The fire literally goes on at the flip of a switch. Available in a wide array 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 ignited, wood added, and air controls adjusted to control the blaze. Because it burns so effectively, a wood fireplace insert uses 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 choice between gas or woodburning is entirely user preference. Many Washington County homeowners proactively put in insert-style fireplaces for enhanced heat and cleanliness, often when building 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 fantastic heat conduction. Fire is completely enclosed within, viewable through ceramic glass, and can be left unattended.

Smoke is exhausted via 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 providing 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 carry lifetime warranties. Their installation can sometimes permit homeowners to avoid pricey chimney repairs that would otherwise be needed to ensure safe venting of fireplace gases.

Another advantage 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 consider a fireplace insert? Contact Butler Chimneys. You’ll appreciate the ambiance of a fireplace … and a far warmer, more comfortable space around you!