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By: Sam Wilhoit
Fireplace inserts do more than breathe new life into an old,
wood-burning fireplace. Fireplace inserts also provide cleaner
air in your home and create a more efficient heating system,
helping reduce energy bills in the face of today’s skyrocketing
gas prices.
What is a Fireplace Insert, Anyway?
Fireplace inserts are steel or cast iron fireboxes that are
fitted directly into your original fireplace. Fronted by self-cleaning
safety glass, fireplace inserts draw and exhaust heat and
fumes through the original chimney or via a pipe directly
vented through an exterior wall. Fireplace inserts are safer
and more efficient than traditional fireplaces because combustible
air is drawn into the firebox through one pipe, and toxic
fumes are vented back outside through another. The resulting
heat is forced back into the room—sans toxic fumes—via
vents in the front, creating a more efficient heating system.
Gas Fireplace Inserts
Stylishly and conveniently updating an older fireplace, gas
fireplace inserts use decorative logs and gas jets to suffuse
a room with radiant heat. These fireplace inserts can be fueled
through your home’s natural gas line or a propane tank
(which are also available in varying sizes from smaller propane
tanks to large tanks stored underground). Choices abound when
it comes to gas fireplace inserts, with options on everything
from venting (vent-free, natural vent and direct vent fireplace
inserts are available) to blaze preference. For instance,
if a yellow flame hearkens back to the hearth of your childhood,
a ceramic fiber log set will create luxurious radiant heat
with a gorgeous glow and realistic flame. Not that particular?
Try the less expensive concrete gas log set and get set for
a comfortable haven of warmth.
Wood-burning Fireplace Inserts
Still crave the crackle of a real wood fire? Want a fireplace
insert with low-cost fuel? An EPA-certified wood-burning fireplace
insert can create a blaze contained within a firebox that
uses a glass door rather than a single, permanently sealed
glass front. These inserts create a less smoky atmosphere
than their traditional wood-burning counterparts while still
radiating plenty of heat efficiently. According to the Hearth,
Patio and Barbeque Association, wood-burning fireplace inserts
generate nearly 65 percent more heat than traditional fireplaces
and cut smoke emissions by nearly 90 percent. An added bonus:
wood-burning fires can provide warmth and light when a power
or gas line goes down.
Fireplace Insert Fuel Options
It’s not all gas and wood when it comes to fueling
your new fireplace insert. Fuel pellets made from compressed
sawdust are available for wood-burning fireplace inserts.
You can buy heating pellets in bulk, making it easier to budget
for your heating costs in advance. Pellet fuel also emits
the lowest amount of smoke emissions, according to the HPBA,
and is available from specialty and home improvement retailers.
If compressed sawdust isn’t for you, coal is another
option for fueling your new fireplace insert. Also according
to the HPBA, anthracite coal is the most commonly used in
supplemental heating, and is a low-cost, readily available
fuel for wood-burning fireplaces.
Choosing the Right Fireplace Insert
Have plenty of time for maintenance? No time at all? Want
ambiance, not heat? Ask yourself these and other questions
before deciding on which fireplace insert to install. Then
talk to the fireplace insert specialists at Brick-Anew to
help determine the fireplace insert that fits your maintenance
level, style, heat output needs and fuel availability. Complete
your new fireplace insert with Brick-Anew’s fireplace
screens, tools and accessories, and even give your existing
masonry a total makeover with Brick-Anew’s patent-pending
brick remodeling system. Then lie back in front of your roaring
fire and say, “Now that’s a fireplace.”
About The Author
Sam Wilhoit of http://www.brick-anew.com/ provider of fireplace
glass doors: http://www.brick-anew.com/glass-doors/fireplace-glass-doors.html/
. Brick-Anew has been a providor of fireplace paint &
accessories since 1997. Please link to http://www.brick-anew.com
when using this article.
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