Your Fireplace Insert Options
There’s nothing like the sights and sounds of a warm, crackling fireplace on a cold winter’s night. But as inviting and attractive as traditional fireplaces are, they’re quite inefficient when it comes to heating your home. What’s more, they produce an awful lot of smoke, both inside and out. So how do you get the ambiance of a crackling fire without the heat loss and smoke? With a fireplace insert, of course!
Read on as we dive into the pros and cons of the assorted options available to you.
Gas Fireplace Insert
From traditional-looking faux logs to sleek and modern glass chips, gas fireplace inserts offer a variety of design options to complement your home’s décor. They can be vented through an existing chimney or through a vent pipe for free-standing units. Plus, gas inserts produce very little creosote, smoke, or pollution, and require little maintenance. The downside is that they don’t have the aroma or crackle of a wood-burning fire, and they do burn fossil fuels which adds to you carbon footprint.
Wood-Burning Insert
As the name suggests, a wood-burning insert is installed in your existing fireplace and burns wood. That means you still get the crackle and wood smoke, but with added energy efficiency. To achieve this, a stainless steel liner is snaked down the chimney and a decorative flange is added. Much like a traditional fireplace, a ceramic glass door opens so you can stack wood and the insert radiates heat when the door is closed. Many wood-burning inserts also have a fan located underneath the firebox that creates convection heat for added warmth. You do still have to chop or purchase wood, and the insert may not work with your chimney if it’s not designed to withstand the high temperature that a wood insert puts out.
Pellet Insert
Like a wood-burning model, a pellet insert slides into your existing fireplace and is surrounded by a decorative flange to seal the gaps between the insert and firebox. It operates with pellets and vents through the existing masonry chimney. Look for a model with an on/off switch and a thermostat so you regulate the temperature. Pellet inserts are among the cleanest burning heat sources as they create energy from waste products. However, because they require electricity to operate, if the power goes out, so does the fire (unless the insert is equipped with a battery back-up, or you have a whole-house generator).
As for providing whole-house comfort, no fireplace can do that – but we can. That’s right, Correct Temp maintains and repairs all makes and models of home furnaces and boilers. We’re also installation pros, ensuring you get the right size heating system for your home and budget. Contact us today for the service you need or a free new-system proposal.
