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

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

Unfortunate fact is, an open-hearth woodburning fireplace barely warms a room. Up to 90 percent of the fire’s heat is lost through the chimney. An open fire actually sucks 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.

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

Going directly into the fireplace opening, a fireplace insert for a woodburning fireplace is a self-contained component that propels heat directly into a room, rather than losing 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 Willow Springs. 

Which fireplace insert is for you?

 

A gas insert is perfect for those who want immediate, low-maintenance fire. The fire literally ignites at the flip of a switch. Available in a broad range of designs, gas fireplace inserts are fast, clean, and little work 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 control 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 access to firewood in Willow Springs, a wood burning insert can be additional heating source for a home.

The choice between gas or woodburning is purely user preference. Many Willow Springs homeowners proactively install insert-style fireplaces for enhanced 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 bypass many issues, and is often less costly than doing repairs. The decision might not be too hard.

Fireplace inserts are made of heavy-gauge sheet steel. The doors are cast iron, which allows great heat conduction. Fire is completely enclosed within, viewable through ceramic glass, and can be left unattended.

Smoke is exhausted via 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 exhausting gases.

Butler Chimneys regularly installs fireplace inserts – gas or wood – in homes in Willow Springs 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 skip pricey 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 look into a fireplace insert? Contact Butler Chimneys. You’ll enjoy the ambiance of a fireplace … and a far warmer, more comfortable space around you!