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

On a frosty Utica day, nothing “warms” up a room (metaphorically speaking) like a roaring fireplace. The light, sound and movement all blend for a romantic, relaxing environment.

Unfortunate truth is, an open-hearth woodburning fireplace barely heats a space. Up to 90 percent of the fire’s heat escapes through the chimney. An open fire actually pulls 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.

Like to make your fireplace experience safer, far warmer and more enjoyable with a sleek, highly-efficient fireplace insert in Utica!

Inserted 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 remains – 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 Utica. 

Which fireplace insert is for you?

 

A gas insert is custom-made for those who want immediate, low-maintenance fire. The fire literally turns on at the flip of a switch. Available in a broad array of designs, gas fireplace inserts are fast, clean, and minimal effort to operate and maintain.

A woodburning fireplace insert creates significantly more heat than gas. The work required is much greater, though. A fire has to be physically ignited, 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 access to firewood in Utica, a wood burning insert can be significantly heating source for a home.

The decision between gas or woodburning is entirely user preference. Many Utica homeowners proactively put in insert-style fireplaces for greater heat and cleanliness, often when constructing homes.

The alternative situation 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-effective 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 delivering air to the firebox, and another for expelling gases.

Butler Chimneys regularly installs fireplace inserts – gas or wood – in homes in Utica 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 bypass pricey 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 ponder a fireplace insert? Contact Butler Chimneys. You’ll appreciate the ambiance of a fireplace … and a far warmer, more comfortable space around you!