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

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

Unfortunate fact is, an open-hearth woodburning fireplace barely warms a room. Up to 90 percent of the fire’s heat goes up 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 combustible surfaces, as well.

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

Fitting right 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 up a chimney. The fire is visible via 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 Monterey. 

Which fireplace insert is for you?

 

A gas insert is custom-made for those who want instant, low-maintenance fire. The fire literally goes on at the flip of a switch. Available in a wide selection of designs, gas fireplace inserts are fast, clean, and little work to operate and maintain.

A woodburning fireplace insert produces significantly more heat than gas. The work involved 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 consumes much less timber than an open-hearth setup. For those with unlimited or cheap sources of firewood in Monterey, a wood burning insert can be additional heating source for a home.

The choice between gas or woodburning is completely user preference. Many Monterey 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 reveals cracked or missing flue tiles. Installing a brand-new insert will get around 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 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 delivering air to the firebox, and another for expelling gases.

Butler Chimneys typically installs fireplace inserts – gas or wood – in homes in Monterey 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 permit homeowners to skip 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!