Here is a short video on how to clean your Napoleon Fireplace Blower

Affordability is always a concern when looking into sprucing up your home. Nothing kills a project faster than being over budget but that shouldn't be a concern when looking at installing a fireplace. Napoleon fireplaces are reasonably priced and easy to install. They may also even qualify for a government credit on your taxes, which eases the pocketbook yet again, so surf on over to www.woodstoves-fireplaces.com today and check out how much you can save on your next fireplace installation.

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.

When the weather outside is frightful, you want the fire in your fireplace to be delightful. That means getting the fireplace ready for the season.

While a wood-burning fireplace should be cleaned about once a year, it also depends on how much you use it and what type of wood you burn, according to Dan Machin, owner of Top Hat Chimney Sweeps in Scotts.

“You don’t want to burn anything that hasn’t been cut, split and dried for at least nine months to a year, because it creates too much creosote,” he said.

Even following that recommendation, if you don’t clean the chimney regularly, the creosote builds up and changes form, eventually making the chimney more difficult to clean.

“First- and second-degree creosote is like a powdery soot-type material,” Machin said. “When it gets to the third-degree stage, it changes over to more of a rock-hard glaze. You can’t brush that right out with a brush. Even with the most expensive professional chimney brush, you can barely put a scratch in that stuff sometimes.”

Every time you build a fire, you have small chimney fires, said Eddie McCormack, an installer with Sackett’s Fireplace in Portage.

If you keep up with chimney maintenance, those small fires will burn themselves out. But, if you don’t clean the chimney regularly, third-degree, tar-like creosote builds up.

“If that catches fire, then you have to have the fire department out, and it could cause major damage,” McCormack said.

To help get third-degree creosote out of a chimney, Machin recommends burning a chimney-cleaning log.

“It won’t clean your chimney, but it will soften up those hard deposits,” he said. “It makes it so when you do get it brushed out, you will get a lot better results.”

Machin said he begins the chimney-cleaning process by placing a tarp in front of the fireplace. Then he checks the inside of the chimney with a flashlight to determine how dirty it is, and whether to clean it from the inside up or from the roof down. The decision, he said, often depends on ice, snow and the pitch of the roof.

For cleaning from the inside, Machin uses a machine that pulls air from the room and forces it into the fireplace, creating a big updraft.

“So, while I’m pushing my brush up and down through the chimney flue, most of the lighter stuff goes right up the chimney and out the top,” he said. “What does fall down in will hit the floor of the fireplace.”

When Machin cleans a masonry chimney, most creosote falls behind the damper. It must be removed, he said, because it’s more dangerous there than inside the chimney.

Having a professional clean a chimney also provides a safety inspection, McCormack said. Cleaners look for cracks in the liner, check the mortar joints in a masonry chimney and inspect the flashing around the chimney for leaks.

“If you have the terra cotta clay liners, I’d look for cracks in there because you can get creosote build-up in the cracks, where you can have a chimney fire past the fire-protective wall,” he said.

Rain caps and animal guards are also important to have on the top of your flue, Machin said.

“Water does a lot of damage to the inside of people’s chimneys,” he said. “Also, raccoons love to get in there. ... Right behind your damper is the perfect place for them to have babies. I get a lot of calls about that every spring.”

Gas fireplaces usually don’t require quite as much maintenance as wood-burning fireplaces — as long as they are installed and adjusted properly, Machin said.

“If it’s burning way too rich, the air/gas mixture is wrong (and) then they’ll produce a lot of soot,” he says. “But, if everything is adjusted properly, then they don’t require a lot of cleaning.”

A gas fireplace probably should be serviced about every two to three years, McCormack said. That involves a cleaning, checking the gas line and looking for cracks in the logs.

You will find that some general contractors prefer to install gas fireplaces over wood fireplaces with new home constructions. The reason they prefer gas units is they do not require a chimney to be ran out the top of the home. Instead gas units only require a direct vent to the outside, which can be on the same level as the fireplace. The direct vent draws in air from the outside while forcing out harmful air from using the fireplace.

You Will Find both Modern and Traditional Styles of Gas Fireplaces

While there are many different styles of modern looking gas fireplaces available, there are also traditional looking styles available, like those found on our website, here at Copperfield Chimney Supply. These traditional looking styles look just like wood burning styles which provide a rustic look and beauty to the room of the home where you install the fireplace. Visitors to your home may find it difficult to determine whether you have a gas or wood burning fireplace just by looking at the unit.

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!

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