Keep Your Fireplace Ambiance, and Heighten its Heat, With a Fireplace Insert!

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

Unfortunate truth is, an open-hearth woodburning fireplace hardly warms a space. 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 flammable surfaces, as well.

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

Going directly into the fireplace opening, a fireplace insert for a woodburning fireplace is a self-contained component that directs heat directly into a room, rather than sending most through a chimney. The fire can be seen 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 offered by Butler Chimneys, your fireplace and chimney inspection company in Ottawa. 

Which fireplace insert is for you?

 

A gas insert is ideal for those who want immediate, low-maintenance fire. The fire literally ignites at the flip of a switch. Available in a wide array 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 required is much greater, though. A fire has to be physically started, wood added, and air controls adjusted to moderate the blaze. Because it burns so efficiently, a wood fireplace insert consumes much less timber than an open-hearth design. For those with unlimited or cheap sources of firewood in Ottawa, a wood burning insert can be noticeably) more cost-effective, and a nice {supplemental heating source for a home.

The decision between gas or woodburning is completely user preference. Many Ottawa 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 bypass 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, seen through ceramic glass, and can be left unattended.

Smoke is exhausted 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 regularly installs fireplace inserts – gas or wood – in homes in Ottawa 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 expensive 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 consider a fireplace insert? Contact Butler Chimneys. You’ll appreciate the ambiance of a fireplace … and a far warmer, more comfortable space around you!