Maintain Your Fireplace Ambiance, and Heighten the Warmth, With a Fireplace Insert!

On a frosty Willow Springs day, nothing “warms” up a space (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 escapes through the chimney. An open fire actually sucks more heat out of a space than it could ever return. Homeowners run a fire risk from airborne sparks landing on flammable surfaces, as well.

Want to make your fireplace experience safer, far warmer and more pleasurable)? {Upgrade with a sleek, highly-efficient fireplace insert in Willow Springs!

Going right 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 losing most through 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 Willow Springs. 

Which fireplace insert is for you?

 

A gas insert is ideal for those who want instant, low-maintenance fire. The fire literally ignites at the flip of a switch. Available in a wide range 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 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 completely, a wood fireplace insert uses much less timber than an open-hearth setup. For those with unlimited or cheap access to firewood in Willow Springs, a wood burning insert can be additional heating source for a home.

The decision between gas or woodburning is completely user preference. Many Willow Springs homeowners proactively install insert-style fireplaces for enhanced heat and cleanliness, often when constructing homes.

The alternative situation 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, viewable through ceramic glass, and can be left unattended.

Smoke is expelled through a new stainless steel liner installed 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 Willow Springs 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 avoid expensive 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 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!