Why Should You Buy a Wood Burning Fireplace Insert?
Wood burning fireplace inserts with blowers provide home warming heat for a fraction of the cost of heating with oil or electricity. Wood heating appliances heat where you live rather than wasting money heating the whole home.
Wood heat is warmth that you can feel deep in your bones. Burn wood to stay warm & save money. The average all in cost of a wood fireplace insert installation is $6,800 – $9,200. Average price includes typical wood fireplace insert, venting and labor.
Learn more >> What does a wood fireplace install cost?
If you have the space to store and season firewood, then wood burning is a life-changing heating option for your home. Get seasoned firewood, sweep your chimney yearly and enjoy the peace of mind provided by a wood fireplace insert in the depths of winter.
We started The Stove Shop in 1977 because we love wood stoves and the ability to have a choice in the fuel we burn to heat our home. Being reliant on PECO for heat is a risky decision in our opinion. Do not leave your family’s heat in the hands of a corporation that doesn’t care about you. Trust a small business to install a wood fireplace insert in your home and enjoy peaceful heat for decades to come.
Looking for our opinion on the best wood stove right now? Click here & find out!
Our Favorite Overall Wood Fireplace Insert:
Montpelier II Cast Iron Wood-Burning Insert by Vermont Castings
Beautiful, Reliable Wood Fireplace Insert Made in America
Vermont Casting’s Montpelier-II wood fireplace insert is our overall favorite wood fireplace insert right now because it is reliable. The simplicity, pure heat and quality Vermont Castings finish. The secondary burn tubes rather than catalytic converter make for an easy to use wood fireplace insert. It is not the most advanced wood heat fireplace insert on the market, but it is straightforward. Husbands, wives and even kids find starting a fire in the Montpelier-II much easier than more advanced wood fireplace inserts.
- Timeless cast iron styling with a furniture-quality finish.
- Heats 1,000-2,400 sq ft with 56,000 BTUs, based on climate and home efficiency.
- Comes with a variable speed blower fan to better distribute heat throughout your space.
- Large firebox – conveniently burn up to 20” logs.
- Large viewing area window.
What Does a New Wood Fireplace Insert Installation Cost These Days?
The average cost of a wood burning insert with the venting and typical labor is $6,800 – $9,200.
Learn more >> What does a wood fireplace install cost?
This average price largely depends on your chimney condition and fireplace insert model selection. If you are getting a new wood fireplace insert, you will need a level 2 chimney inspection. Check out the Chimney Safety Institute of America to find a trustworthy sweep near you.
Wood Burning Pro Tip: The average cost of a cord of wood is about $320 in Pennsylvania.) Learn more >> Our Fireplace Fuel Cost Guide
Installation price largely depends on the condition of your existing chimney flue, height of chimney, choice of fireplace insert model. The chimney condition should be your number one concern when installing a new woof fireplace insert.
Wood fireplace inserts installations cost a bit more than gas fireplace insert installations. Expect to spend a bit more money on a wood fireplace insert than most other installation types due to the strict safety requirements and difficulty of installation. Compare to a gas fireplace insert’s average cost of $6,200 – $7,800. What does it cost to install a gas fireplace insert?
Our Favorite Advanced Wood Fireplace Insert:
Princess 29 Wood Fireplace Insert by Blaze King
If you want to achieve insanely long burn time (24 hours or more) a catalytic wood fireplace insert is the way to go. Compared to the combustion tubes on a Montpelier, some wood inserts use catalytic combustion. Catalytic units like to burn low and slow. This causes the flame to be less visible, but longer lasting than a wood insert with secondary burn tubes. The best catalytic, high efficiency wood burning fireplace inserts available are manufactured in Walla Walla, Washington by Blaze King Industries.
There are a number of great options from Blaze King, our favorite is the Princess 29 wood fireplace insert. The long burn times and quality build make the Princess from Blaze King a great option when long burn times is more important than an impressive fire. Visually, catalytic wood burning inserts offer a less beautiful flame. The catalyst draws the fire away from the front of the fireplace insert. If working properly, a catalytic wood fireplace insert should often look like a smoldering pile of logs.
Blaze King is the leader in efficiency when it comes to wood fireplace inserts and wood stoves. Their focus on catalytic combustion has pushed the rest of the industry to take longer burn times to the next level! If you would like to see a Blaze King wood fireplace insert in person, find a Blaze King retailer today!
Learn more about wood burning:
How to Best Store Firewood for Winter?
How Many Pieces of Stove Wood are in a Cord of Firewood?
How to Start a Wood Stove Fire: Firewood Burning Guide
Where to Buy Firewood for my Wood Stove in Chester County, PA?
What Does a Wood Fireplace Install Cost?
Fireplace Fuel Cost Guide (Wood, Gas, Pellet & more)
How to Safely Replace Wood Stove Rope Gasket?
What to Look for in a Wood Burning Fireplace Insert?
What is Our Favorite Wood Burning Stove Brand?
The Stove Shop Fireplace Experts in Phoenixville, PA
What are the steps to purchasing a new, safe wood fireplace insert installation?
- If you want to get a wood fireplace insert, first get a level 2 chimney inspection from a reputable chimney sweep with CSIA or NCSG certification.
- Then, choose a wood fireplace insert at a local authorized NFI dealer. There are many quality wood fireplace insert brands including Vermont Castings, Blaze King, Osburn and Quadra-Fire. We love Vermont Castings because it is a high quality, American-made product. Plus, we were the first fireplace shop to sell cast iron VC stoves in 1979.
- After choosing a brand, take three separate pictures of the fireplace installation location. One up close, a wide view and an outdoor chimney photo. Bring the pictures with you to an authorized dealer of the brand you choose and inquire about which wood fireplace inserts will fit your fireplace. OR Determine which unit you like and what will fit by reading the installation manual, the taper of your fireplace is often the major consideration because you have to fit a power cord behind the wood fireplace insert.
- Get an estimate from the authorized dealer. Scheduled an installation as long as your Level 2 chimney inspection is still valid. (After completing step 1, do not use the wood fireplace again until the new wood fireplace insert is installed.)
- Get a new wood fireplace insert installed in your masonry fireplace. Enjoy wood heat, save money and stay warm.
- Sweep your chimney once per burn season or every 2 cords depending on what comes first.
FAQ: “How do I get my fireplace to radiate more heat?”
Wood Burning Fireplace Inserts provide powerful heat that make your favorite room even cozier. Inserts seal off inefficient masonry fireplaces that suck all of the heat from your home. In general, fireplace inserts across all fuel types make your fireplace radiate more heat into your home.
Fireplace Insert Overview – What are the Different Types of Fireplace Inserts?
Fireplace inserts come in many shapes and sizes. Manufacturers like Vermont Castings, Blaze King, Heat & Glo, Osburn and Quadra-Fire make high quality fireplace inserts across many fuel types. Fireplace inserts can burn natural gas, propane gas (lp), pellets, wood, electricity and (sometimes) coal.
- Wood Fireplace Insert
- Wood fireplace inserts are a metal box with firebricks and have a door for loading wood. They are sealed systems and are best operated with the door closed. (Do not confuse a wood insert with a wood fireplace that has glass doors.) Wood inserts are efficient and simple. Wood always works, even without electricity.
- Gas Fireplace Insert
- A gas fireplace insert is sealed and uses gas. Gas inserts are easy to use with natural gas or propane.
- Gas Logs in Wood Burning Fireplace
- Gas logs are not a gas fireplace insert. Gas logs have an open flame and get be vented or unvented. Gas logs are beautiful, but not efficient.
- Pellet Fireplace Insert
- A pellet fireplace insert has a door for cleaning the burn pot and loading pellets. Pellets inserts are great for folks who can’t be home to load a wood firebox, but want persistent heat throughout the day.
- Electric Fireplace Insert
- Electric fireplace inserts are sealed and have a simulated flame. Often, electric fireplace inserts are more affordable without producing as much impactful heat.
See the Montpelier-II Wood Fireplace Insert in our Fireplace Showroom
All information provided should not be used for self installation of any hearth products including but not limited to fireplaces and stoves. DO not self install wood, pellet, electric or gas fireplaces, stoves, hearth products or fire producing products based solely on this information alone. Please never use this information to self install. Consult a professional in person who is familiar with your home before installation or service of any hearth appliance.