Are you sucking all of the warm air out of your home with a traditional open masonry fireplace? Updrafts steal the hot air in your home and make your primary living space cold. Traditional wood burning fireplaces are inefficient and open gas logs are not a sustainable solution during a cold Pennsylvania winter.
Before we start, it is important to know, “what is a masonry fireplace?” Masonry chimneys and fireplaces are built on site from stone or brick and mortar. Masonry chimneys are part of your house’s structural design. It is common for masonry chimneys and fireplaces to be constructed at the time the home is built.
In the 40+ years we have been in business the same questions about masonry fireplaces and chimneys arise. Let’s get them answered here!
Question: “How do I get my fireplace to reflect more heat?”
Masonry wood-burning fireplaces are inefficient for Pennsylvania homes. During colder months the money you spend to heat your home with electricity or oil is being stolen by your masonry chimney. If you never plan to use your wood burning fireplace, you can simply shut the entryway with a chimney damper, so no more cold air can get down the chimney. If you want actual heat output, a fireplace insert is the best solution.
Answer: Purchase a fireplace insert to get more heat.
Fireplace inserts help to reduce fuel costs by heating where you live rather than the whole home. Heating with oil or electricity is expensive because you are spending money heating the entire house. A fireplace insert heats the space you and your family use during the day and leaves the rest of the home cool at night. (No one likes a hot bedroom anyway.)
There are three types of fireplace insert that we commonly recommend for home heating:
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- Gas Fireplace Insert
- Propane (LP) and natural gas fireplace inserts are easy to use. Turn on your fireplace with the click of a button and take off the chill while you relax in your living room. All you need is access to propane or natural gas.
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- Wood Fireplace Insert
- Wood fireplace inserts provide wonderful radiant heat. Great solution for folks who are home to stoke the fire. Plan to load up your unit with wood every 2-5 hours depending on firebox size. Consider where you will source and store your wood fuel.
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- Pellet Fireplace Insert
- Pellet is the perfect solution if you are not able to fill the fireplace with wood frequently. Pellet heat might not be as beautiful as wood or gas, but it is very efficient and warms you to the bone. Consider where you will source and store your pellet fuel.
We hope we have been helpful in your quest for information. If you have any further questions, please reach out to The Stove Shop (610-935-9334). We are honored to help you with your goal to get your fireplace to reflect more heat.
Helping our customers stay warm and save money since 1977.
