Maintain Your Fireplace Ambiance, and Boost the Heat, With a Fireplace Insert!

On a frostbit Portland 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 truth is, an open-hearth woodburning fireplace barely warms a room. Up to 90 percent of the fire’s heat is lost through 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 combustible surfaces, as well.

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

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

Homeowners can choose between gas fireplace inserts and wood fireplace inserts. Both are offered by Butler Chimneys, your fireplace and chimney inspection company in Portland. 

Which fireplace insert is for you?

 

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

A woodburning fireplace insert generates 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 efficiently, a wood fireplace insert uses much less timber than an open-hearth design. For those with unlimited or cheap access to firewood in Portland, a wood burning insert can be additional heating source for a home.

The choice between gas or woodburning is entirely user preference. Many Portland homeowners proactively install 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 get around many issues, and is often less costly than doing 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 expelled 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 exhausting gases.

Butler Chimneys regularly installs fireplace inserts – gas or wood – in homes in Portland 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 skip costly 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 ponder a fireplace insert? Contact Butler Chimneys. You’ll enjoy the ambiance of a fireplace … and a far warmer, more comfortable space around you!