Enjoy Your Fireplace Ambiance, and Heighten the Heat, With a Fireplace Insert!

On a chilly Washington County day, nothing “warms” up a space (metaphorically speaking) like a roaring fireplace. The light, sound and movement all combine for a romantic, relaxing ambiance.

Unfortunate reality is, an open-hearth woodburning fireplace barely heats a space. 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 enjoyable with a sleek, highly-efficient fireplace insert in Washington County!

Fitting right into the fireplace opening, a fireplace insert for a woodburning fireplace is a self-contained component that transfers heat directly into a room, rather than losing 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 Washington County. 

Which fireplace insert is for you?

 

A gas insert is custom-made for those who want immediate, 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 effort to operate and maintain.

A woodburning fireplace insert creates significantly more heat than gas. The work involved is much greater, though. A fire has to be physically started, 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 Washington County, a wood burning insert can be significantly heating source for a home.

The choice between gas or woodburning is entirely user preference. Many Washington County homeowners proactively install insert-style fireplaces for enhanced heat and cleanliness, often when designing homes.

The alternative situation 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 expensive than doing 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 efficient heat conduction. Fire is completely enclosed within, seen 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 delivering air to the firebox, and another for exhausting 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 skip 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 consider a fireplace insert? Contact Butler Chimneys. You’ll enjoy the ambiance of a fireplace … and a far warmer, more comfortable space around you!