Have you been thinking about updating the look of your fireplace? Or even converting the fuel source of an old, damaged fireplace you would like to renovate without a lot of hassle? An economical and simple way to both change the look of your hearth and switch from a wood-burning to gas (or the super energy-efficient pellet fuel) fireplace, inserts are your best choice.
We at Home Safe Hearth & Chimney carry all sorts of inserts in our large showroom: gas, wood-burning, and pellet, and our qualified staff is ready to help you decide which type is right for your home and then choose which style of insert you want to install. From traditional to contemporary, you will be pleasantly surprised to see the variety of looks from which you can choose.
Advantages of Inserts
There are many advantages to choosing an insert. Convenience and performance are two factors to consider.
Each type of insert has its own advantages, and the National Association of Realtors’ home improvement website, houselogic, has an article, “Save Money with a Fireplace Insert: Fireplace Insert Benefits,” that gives a few examples of these advantages for each type of fuel-burner:
- wood-burning inserts Like a wood stove without legs, a wood-burning insert is energy-efficient, with an efficiency rating of 60 to 80% on models certified by the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). And, they use real logs to heat areas between 1,500 to 3,000 square feet for several hours before needing to reload. Small enough to fit into most masonry fireplaces, a certified Home Safe Hearth & Chimney technician will install the firebox of your wood-burning insert into your existing fireplace, and then snake a durable, long-lasting stainless steel liner down your chimney and fit the decorative flange of your choice, made from porcelain, cast-iron, or steel around the insert. Our technician will be sure to cover the steel sides and fill in all gaps between the firebox and your hearth.
- pellet inserts The ultimate in environmentally-friendly heating, pellet inserts are among the cleanest-burning home heating appliances because they burn waste products like pellets made from sawdust, corn, or even dried cherries. With an efficiency rating of 50 to 80% and an ability to heat areas from 1,000 to 2,500 square feet (depending on the size of the fuel hopper and its heat-generating capacity), a pellet insert is an economical and energy-efficient choice to heat your house. Installed exactly like a wood-burning insert, this prefabricated convection heater is operated by pouring in those pellets made from sawdust and other inexpensive, renewable substances. You then just push a button or set the thermostat, and let the heater do the rest.
- gas inserts The star of the fireplace inserts, gas fireplace inserts are the easiest to use and require very little maintenance, and with an efficiency rating of 58 to 85%, little pollution, no ash, smoke, or creosote, and zoned heating that allows reduced overall fuel consumption, these inserts are recommended by the EPA to convert your wood-burning fireplace into a cleaner burning heat source. A certified Home Safe Hearth & Chimney technician can install a gas insert in an existing fireplace, or you can choose a free-standing unit and have it vented through an exterior wall. Operating on propane or natural gas, you flip a switch or push a button on a remote control and have instant, controllable fire dancing over realistic-looking logs, modern decorative glass chips, or stone behind glass doors.
Contact our knowledgeable staff at Home Safe Hearth & Chimney today to talk with us about fireplace inserts to decide which of these three types is right for you so you can get started selecting which style you want installed in your house to enjoy clean, energy-efficient heating.