When you are tired of looking at the old fireplace in your home which you have boarded up to keep cold air out, you can convert it to a modern fireplace. You can use fireplace inserts which have blower motors and are a self-contained system. You can choose between gas and wood burning inserts to start enjoying you fireplace and provide heat for your home. Modern fireplaces available from Copperfield Chimney Supply are energy efficient and provide alternative heating for your home.

Fireplace Inserts Require a Chimney

Installing fireplace inserts will require the use of a chimney to vent smoke out of the house. You may be able to use your existing chimney in certain cases or be required to install a new stainless steel chimney inside the existing structure. Inserts provide an air tight solution which keeps the warm air in your home and prevents it from going up the chimney, like is common with traditional fireplaces.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recommends that you install an EPA certified wood stove insert in place of your old brick fireplace to reduce smoke and increase efficiency of wood burned in your home. Due to the open nature of traditional fireplaces, much of the potential energy of your fuel is wasted; they also create smoke both indoors, and out. Abundant smoke is a health risk to everyone, affecting our friends outside our home and our family within.

Wood Stove Inserts can be Cheaper than Other Alternatives

When selecting an insert for your fireplace, it is wise to look at all of your options before deciding exactly what you would like. While gas, natural or propane, has become more accessible in recent times, it is still not free. Wood, on the other hand, can be free, short of a little manual labor that is. Many people still choose a wood stove insert because of this reason, and here at Copperfield Chimney Supply we offer the best in Majestic and Napoleon inserts to meet your needs.

When you want a modern style of fireplace but already have an existing unit, there are a few different options available. You could rip out your old fireplace and replace it with a brand Copperfield chimney supply efficient design. However this can be quite costly when the fireplace is built into the home and may require major construction to remove and install the new one. Another option, which lets you use your current opening, is to use fireplace inserts , which are also energy efficient, but less expensive to install.

Fireplace Inserts Are Very Heavy and Should Only be Removed to Clean

Fireplace inserts slide into the existing opening of your current fireplace. You may need to make some modifications to the chimney in order for the insert to be properly vented. Inserts can be very heavy due to their solid steel or cast iron designs, and should only be removed for cleaning purposes after they are installed. You will find a variety of quality hearth products for the entire home, including inserts available here at Copperfield Chimney Supply.

With heating oil at $4.00 a gallon many homeowners are considering to, at least partially, heat their homes with good ole Maine firewood at a fraction of the heating costs. The pay back time for investing in an EPA clean burning wood burning fireplace insert is usually less than two years. Here is how to get started.

Determine if the chimney is up to code. Start with your local fire department. Any installer should perform a site review (ask about any fees) to inspect the flue and to ensure that the unit you select will fit both your fireplace and your heating requirement.

My installer says I have to reline my flue? Likely true. New EPA stoves are so efficient that there is little heat lost up the flue which also means that the stoves cannot heat up that oversized fireplace flue to create draft and to keep the gases that are going up the flue above the condensation (creosote forming) temperature. This is why there is a new code requirement stating that oversized flues must be resized before a new appliance can be installed.

What fits? You need a lot of good measurements. Measure the opening size of the fireplace (height & width) plus the depth of the firebox, rear width and the rear height at the distance that the insert sits into the firebox. The other issues to be addressed are the location of mantle, top trim and side trim and the distance the manufacturer lists for clearances.

What are my choices? Some units fit flush to the fireplace opening, some are bay window designs others are extended onto the hearth. Units can be cast iron enameled or steel with brass or pewter trim. Many styles and sizes are available.

What can I expect from an insert? EPA wood burning approved insert are 75% + efficient (open fireplaces are 10-20%). The bigger the firebox the more heat it can produce and the longer it will hold a fire. Many burn 6-10 hours on a single full charge of wood.

The cost? You purchase the insert or firebox plus a set of panels to fit around the unit and cover the fireplace opening. Most units sold by industry leaders like Vermont Castings, Jotul, Hearthstone, Lopi, and Morso having list prices starting at $2000. Installation w/ stainless steel reline can add $1000. or more depending on the chimney height and roof accessibility.

What is the pay back? Using the Smithers method for estimating, one cord of wood equals 140 gallons of No. #2 fuel oil. If you typically use 1000 gallons of oil a season and with the current price running around $4.00 your total seasonal heating costs equals $4000.00. Firewood, cut, split and delivered green at $230 a cord, times the estimated usage of 6.5 cords equals $1495. Oil $4,000.00 or Wood $1,495.00 Annual Saving $2,505.00

If you are late ordering firewood you will be charged a premium for wood that is already seasoned but even at $300 a seasoned cord your heating costs will be less than half that of fuel oil. Don’t burn green, wet wood! It’s a bad BTU value, it’s bad for your chimney and it’s bad for the environment!

Shop Inserts Here

Should you have an older home with a wood burning fireplace, you may be losing heat up the chimney and outdoors. During the cold winter months, heat is actually drawn from inside the house and out the chimney instead of providing heat to your home. You can modernize your fireplace with fireplace inserts, which are a solid steel or cast iron box with a blower which keeps the heat in your home and keeps you warm.

Different Types of Fireplace Inserts

There are different types of fireplace inserts available depending upon the type of fireplace your desire. You can get a wood burning fireplace insert if your preference is to burn wood. An alternative type of fireplace insert is a gas burning model which uses natural gas or propane to provide heat. Both types include blower motors which blow the warm air into your room and provide heat without it escaping out the chimney. You can get either type of fireplace insert from Copperfield Chimney Supply .

For many homeowners, fireplaces have become the nice china of home features: dusted off only for special occasions. Although attractive, they are messy to operate, and that homey glow they produce sends heat right up the chimney as the fire sucks warm air from the rest of the house. Fortunately, homeowners have more options than ever to get more use and heat from the fireplace. Options range from a simple blower system that costs less than $1,000 to wood-burning inserts that can cost more than $5,000 but can heat an entire home. Homeowners seeking to add some heat to their fireplace must start with two choices: Do they want an insert? And what fuel do they prefer? More