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

On a frigid Big Bend day, nothing “warms” up a space (metaphorically speaking) like a blazing fireplace. The light, sound and movement all combine for a romantic, relaxing atmosphere.

Unfortunate fact is, an open-hearth woodburning fireplace hardly warms 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 possibly 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 Big Bend!

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

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

Which fireplace insert is for you?

 

A gas insert is custom-made 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 little effort to operate and maintain.

A woodburning fireplace insert emits significantly more heat than gas. The work involved 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 thoroughly, a wood fireplace insert consumes much less timber than an open-hearth design. For those with unlimited or cheap access to firewood in Big Bend, a wood burning insert can be additional heating source for a home.

The decision between gas or woodburning is entirely user preference. Many Big Bend homeowners proactively install insert-style fireplaces for greater 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 avoid 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 fantastic heat conduction. Fire is completely enclosed within, viewable through ceramic glass, and can be left unattended.

Smoke is expelled via 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 exhausting gases.

Butler Chimneys typically installs fireplace inserts – gas or wood – in homes in Big Bend 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 bypass 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 ponder a fireplace insert? Contact Butler Chimneys. You’ll appreciate the ambiance of a fireplace … and a far warmer, more comfortable space around you!