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

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

Unfortunate fact is, an open-hearth woodburning fireplace hardly warms a room. Up to 90 percent of the fire’s heat goes up 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 comfortable with a sleek, highly-efficient fireplace insert in Durham!

Fitting right into the fireplace opening, a fireplace insert for a woodburning fireplace is a self-contained appliance that propels heat directly into a room, rather than losing most up a chimney. The fire is visible through a glass panel. The ambiance stays – 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 Durham. 

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 emits 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 control the blaze. Because it burns so effectively, a wood fireplace insert uses much less timber than an open-hearth setup. For those with unlimited or cheap sources of firewood in Durham, a wood burning insert can be additional heating source for a home.

The decision between gas or woodburning is entirely user preference. Many Durham homeowners proactively install 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 avoid many issues, and is often less expensive 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 efficient 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 added 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 exhausting gases.

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