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

On a chilly Lac La Belle day, nothing “warms” up a room (metaphorically speaking) like a blazing fireplace. The light, sound and movement all mix for a romantic, relaxing atmosphere.

Unfortunate fact is, an open-hearth woodburning fireplace barely heats a room. Up to 90 percent of the fire’s heat escapes through the chimney. An open fire actually sucks more heat out of a space than it could ever return. Homeowners run 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 Lac La Belle!

Going directly 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 sending most through a chimney. The fire is visible 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 offered by Butler Chimneys, your fireplace and chimney inspection company in Lac La Belle. 

Which fireplace insert is for you?

 

A gas insert is ideal for those who want instant, low-maintenance fire. The fire literally goes 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 generates 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 effectively, a wood fireplace insert uses much less timber than an open-hearth setup. For those with unlimited or cheap sources of firewood in Lac La Belle, a wood burning insert can be additional heating source for a home.

The choice between gas or woodburning is purely user preference. Many Lac La Belle homeowners proactively add insert-style fireplaces for greater heat and cleanliness, often when constructing homes.

The alternative situation for adding an insert is when a fireplace inspection discovers cracked or missing flue tiles. Installing a brand-new insert will get around 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-effective 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 expelling gases.

Butler Chimneys typically installs fireplace inserts – gas or wood – in homes in Lac La Belle 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 bypass 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!