Enjoy Your Fireplace Ambiance, and Boost its Warmth, With a Fireplace Insert!

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

Unfortunate fact is, an open-hearth woodburning fireplace barely warms a space. 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 Oconomowoc!

Going directly into the fireplace opening, a fireplace insert for a woodburning fireplace is a self-contained appliance that transfers heat directly into a room, rather than sending 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 available from Butler Chimneys, your fireplace and chimney inspection company in Oconomowoc. 

Which fireplace insert is for you?

 

A gas insert is perfect for those who want immediate, low-maintenance fire. The fire literally goes on at the flip of a switch. Available in a wide 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 efficiently, a wood fireplace insert uses much less timber than an open-hearth design. For those with unlimited or cheap access to firewood in Oconomowoc, a wood burning insert can be additional heating source for a home.

The choice between gas or woodburning is completely user preference. Many Oconomowoc homeowners proactively add insert-style fireplaces for enhanced heat and cleanliness, often when designing 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 avoid 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 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 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 Oconomowoc 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 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 appreciate the ambiance of a fireplace … and a far warmer, more comfortable space around you!