When you like the current style and design of your fireplace, but are tired of its inefficiency to properly heat your home, then you should look at getting a wood stove insert . A wood burning insert fits into your existing fireplace and creates and completely enclosed unit. The wood insert can often use your existing chimney system with a few modifications.

A Wood Stove Insert is Energy Efficient to Heat Your Home

Instead of letting all the heated air escape out of your home, and up the chimney, a wood stove insert is designed to be energy efficient. There are blower options available on different inserts and work to force more hot air into the room. You will find wood inserts available here at Copperfield Chimney Supply as well as other quality hearth products for your entire home.

Your fireplace holds the key to a cozy home and energy savings. The image of a family gathered around the fireplace, basking in its warm glow, is a classic for a reason: there's really nothing quite as cozy as flames crackling in a fireplace. Many homeowners are embracing that image once again - and saving money on their heating bills to boot. More

Operating gas fireplaces is slightly different from using wood burning fireplaces. Unlike wood burning, there is normally no flue which you need to open prior to starting a fire. Gas units often use self-contained direct vents which draw air from the outside while exchanging harmful gases not burned in the fire. The direct vent is often hidden on the back side of the fireplace out of normal view.

Gas Fireplaces Can Be Installed In Any Unused Corner

There are different sizes of gas fireplaces available on our website, here at Copperfield Chimney Supply, to fit into all different living spaces of your home. Unused corners make a great location for adding a gas fireplace when you want to avoid using wall space where you already have your television or furniture. A corner fireplace unit only requires the use of a direct vent on one side of the exterior wall while the other side can be an interior wall.

Conscientious Oregonians have been storing up firewood for the inevitable cool days of winter, and the experienced wood-gatherers know that dry, seasoned firewood burns most efficiently, provides the most heat and smokes the least.

In fact, unseasoned wood is not suitable for open fireplaces, according to Steve Bowers, a forester with the Douglas County office of the Oregon State University Extension Service.

Ideally, wood should be purchased or gathered at least a year in advance of burning. more.....

Q: My fireplace is located in the basement and the chimney is located on the wall between the house and attached garage. In the summer when it is very humid outside, the glass doors on my fireplace sweat and the condensation pools on the floor in front of the fireplace hearth. We keep our home cool (67 degrees) at night in the summer. If I open the glass doors, the condensation does not occur.

I would like to put an electric fireplace insert in, but I am concerned about the condensation. The insert resembles a flat-screen TV in appearance. Any condensation could damage the insert. I have only one fireplace and it is the only thing that vents through the chimney. I have thought about inserting insulation into the top of my chimney and capping it, but I am concerned that the walls of the flue could create condensation during the humid summer days. Do you have any recommendations?

A: Condensation in the home is the process where moisture, which is present in the conditioned air, is transformed from a gas to a liquid. This process is most often noticed in the winter when moisture forms on the cold glass surfaces of windows. It’s a simple fact that cold air cannot hold or retain as much moisture as warm air, and when the two meet, the warm air starts to cool, releasing some of its moisture as condensation. Homes with high humidity levels will often have condensation forming on the interior side of windows in colder weather. When the humidity levels are too high, mold and mildew can become a problem. A normal and comfortable level of humidity inside the home would be anywhere between 30 percent and 60 percent at 65 degrees.

Humidity levels below 30 percent can result in dry skin, nosebleeds and static electric buildup, whereas higher moisture levels lead to the aforementioned mold and mildew.

A hygrometer, a device that measures humidity levels, can be purchased for under $20 and will give you an accurate reading. Only when you know you have a humidity problem can you correct it.

As you know, if you plug the top of the chimney above the fireplace, the flue-liner condensation will trickle down to the fireplace. You will need to protect the insert from moisture problems. According to one manufacturer’s recommendation, “Insulation and vapor barrier should be placed a minimum of 2 inches from the unit.”

This means you can use rigid foam insulation behind some inserts to control temperatures and airflow and a vapor barrier to protect the insert from moisture, but first read and follow all installation instructions.

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Bellows - a popular accessory to help boost combustion in wood fires, feeding air to the flames as it is forced out of an expandable bladder. Though unnecessary for a gas hearth where the combustion level is easily controlled with the turn of a knob, bellows' lovely finish in attractive blends of fine woods with vinyl or leather makes them a decorative accessory. BTUs - British Thermal Unit, the primary heat measurement unit used by the hearth industry. It is the amount of energy required to raise the temperature of 1 lb. of water by 1 degree F. Catalytic Combustor - a device used on some wood stoves to increase combustion efficiency by lowering flue gas ignition temperatures. Clearance - the distance required by manufacturers and building codes between stove, connector pipe or chimney and any combustible materials. Creosote - deposits of condensed wood smoke in the chimney and connector pipe resulting from incomplete combustion. It can ignite and cause a chimney fire. Direct Vent - an appliance with a sealed, specifically designed venting system, that draws combustion air from outdoors and exhausts its combustion products to the outdoors, eliminating the need for a standard chimney system. A glass panel in direct vent units is critical to keeping the combustion system sealed from the home. Emissions - unburned gases and particles as a result of incomplete combustion. EPA Regulations - government regulations of wood-burning appliances mandating that products sold after July 1, 1992, emit no more than 4.1 grams of particulate matter per hour for catalytic-equipped units and no more than 7.5 grams for non-catalytic-equipped units. Firebacks - protect fireplace masonry and mortar, shielding them from extreme heat of the flames. Cast-iron firebacks store heat from the fire and radiate it into the room after the fire has died down. Firebacks work just as well in a modern gas fireplace as they do in a traditional wood burning one. Fireplace Inserts - heating units that retrofit into an existing fireplace (masonry or factory-built). They burn wood, gas or wood pellets and offer superior efficiency. Flue - the passageway in a chimney for conveying gases to the outdoors. Freestanding Stove - a heating appliance normally on legs or a pedestal. Gas Logs - an open flame appliance with ceramic or ceramic fiber logs placed over a burner to provide dramatic realism of a traditional flame. Manufactured log sets have a burner that uses either natural gas or propane. Glass Doors - doors attached to a fireplace to close off the opening of the hearth from the home to prevent heat from escaping up the chimney and prevent cold air from entering the home when the fireplace is not being used. Grate - a metal frame used to hold and contain burning fuel in a fireplace. Hearth - traditionally refers to the floor of a fireplace on which a blaze is built. Today it is also used to refer to all the devices and equipment used in connection with the fireplace and the stove industry. Heat Shield - a noncombustible protector used around appliances, smoke pipes or chimneys to protect combustibles from heat sources. Hopper - a container attached to an appliance in which fuel, either coal, nuggets or wood pellets, is stored and from which the fuel is fed to the burner. Island Fireplace - a fireplace that has four sides of glass, for viewing from any angle. Kindling - thin, dry wood used to start a fire. Liquid Propane - liquefied petroleum gas, available in cylinders, for home use. Mantle - an ornamental facing surrounding the fireplace or simply a shelf above a fireplace. Metal Liner - used primarily with fireplace inserts and placed inside an existing chimney (usually masonry) to reduce the diameter of the flue for more rapid exit of smoke and combustion gases. Also used when an existing chimney is unlimited or deteriorating. Natural draft (B-vent) Appliances - a gas-burning appliance that takes in combustion air from the home and vents byproducts of combustion outside the home. Natural Gas - clean-burning fossil fuel transported to homes via an extensive pipeline network. Pellets - are made of 100% compressed wood sawdust with no additives. A renewable fuel source made from sawdust or wood chips otherwise destined for landfills. Peninsula Fireplace - a fireplace that has three sides of glass. Seasoned - refers to cordwood that has been allowed to dry before burning. Seasoning generally takes six to 12 months. Wood burns much more efficiently when its moisture content has been reduced. Unvented or Vent-Free Appliance - an appliance that draws combustion air from inside the home. The appliance is designed to burn so efficiently that it eliminates the need for venting. Zero-Clearance Fireplace - a factory-built fireplace that is constructed so that it can be placed, safely, with close clearances to combustible materials.