Keep Your Fireplace Ambiance, and Increase the Heat, With a Fireplace Insert!

On a frostbit Bethesda day, nothing “warms” up a space (metaphorically speaking) like a roaring fireplace. The light, sound and movement all mix for a romantic, relaxing environment.

Unfortunate truth is, an open-hearth woodburning fireplace barely heats a space. 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 endure a fire risk from airborne sparks landing on combustible surfaces, as well.

Want to make your fireplace experience safer, far warmer and more enjoyable with a sleek, highly-efficient fireplace insert in Bethesda!

Going 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 is visible 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 available from Butler Chimneys, your fireplace and chimney inspection company in Bethesda. 

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 broad selection of designs, gas fireplace inserts are fast, clean, and minimal work to operate and maintain.

A woodburning fireplace insert creates 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 moderate the blaze. Because it burns so efficiently, a wood fireplace insert uses much less timber than an open-hearth setup. For those with unlimited or cheap access to firewood in Bethesda, a wood burning insert can be significantly heating source for a home.

The choice between gas or woodburning is completely user preference. Many Bethesda homeowners proactively add insert-style fireplaces for enhanced heat and cleanliness, often when building 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 bypass many issues, and is often less costly 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 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 providing air to the firebox, and another for expelling gases.

Butler Chimneys typically installs fireplace inserts – gas or wood – in homes in Bethesda 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 allow homeowners to avoid expensive 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 appreciate the ambiance of a fireplace … and a far warmer, more comfortable space around you!