Most fireplaces suck all of the warm air right out of your home! Glass doors & gas logs can help to mitigate the cold draft coming from your fireplace, but they are a tiny band-aid on a large hole in your living room. Fireplace inserts are one of the best ways to improve the heating efficiency of your home.
Glass Fireplace Doors Facts
Glass Fireplace Doors – Appliance $$ | Installation $ | Maintenance none
Fireplace doors can be a beautiful aesthetic addition to any fireplace. While they are beautiful they do not provide much warmth. Glass doors on fireplaces must be left open when the fireplace is in use because the glass can explode. Fireplace glass doors do not seal your masonry or pre-fab fireplace from leaking cold air. (Many glass doors are also not UL listed for use with fireplaces.)
Gas Logs Facts
Gas logs are a handy solution. They come in two varieties, vented gas logs and unvented gas logs. Never rearrange the logs of your gas log set. Changing the orientation of gas log placement is a common user error that greatly increases risk of use. Please contact The Stove Shop for service of your gas log set if you have ever rearranged your gas logs or have any safety questions concerning your gas log set.
Unvented Gas Logs – Appliance $ | Installation $ | Maintenance $
Unvented gas logs provide significant heat because your fireplace bypass damper is closed permanently to increase heat output into your home. While unvented gas log sets are hot and affordable, they also off gas into your home. This can cause sooting and an unpleasant odor that many people believe has negative health impacts.
Vented Gas Logs – Appliance $ | Installation $ | Maintenance $
Vented gas logs do not provide the heat of a vented gas log set. They are beautiful to look at and increase the ambiance of your living room. They do not however solve the issue of a cold draft coming into your home. The bypass damper of your fireplace is locked open. This causes cold air to come into your home when the gas logs are not in use. In addition, all of the heat you are creating with those gas logs is going straight up the chimney. Vented gas log sets do not help you stay warm or save money.
Fireplace Insert Facts
Fireplace inserts provide significant heat with a sealed system that does not emit any odor into your home. There is glass in-between you and the fire.
Gas Fireplace Inserts – Appliance $$ | Installation $$ | Maintenance $
Direct vent gas fireplace inserts are a wonderful solution if you want to hit a button and have instant warmth in your home. Gas inserts utilize either natural gas or propane (LP), require electrical hookup and an existing chimney. Gas fireplace inserts do not fit in every application, but 85% of the time a gas insert will fit existing masonry fireplaces and pre-fabricated fireplaces. Gas fireplace inserts require yearly maintenance to clean the unit (should cost about $250 or so depending on your gas fireplace service provider. If you are considering purchasing a new unit, check out our favorite gas fireplace insert for 2024.
Wood Fireplace Inserts – Appliance $$ | Installation $$$ | Maintenance $
Wood heat is great if you are working from home or able to fill the firebox every few hours. Wood fireplace inserts require a little bit more labor and planning than a gas fireplace insert, but output the most heat in a traditional wood firebox. Wood fireplace inserts are hot and reliable. If you have wood you want to burn, a wood fireplace insert will create significantly more heat than a standard wood burning masonry fireplace. Feel the quality of Vermont Casting’s offering of quality wood fireplace inserts.
Pellet Fireplace Inserts – Appliance $$$ | Installation $ | Maintenance $$
Pellet fireplace inserts are wonderful if you are out of the house all day, but still want reliable heat. Pellet heat is not as beautiful as wood or gas, the flame is like a furnace. Hot and raging! Pellet heat is a bit more fickle than gas or wood because it requires regular cleaning and maintenance. Electricity is required for most models and yearly service is recommended. Finding a reliable pellet service technician can be challenging. Think about future service plans before purchasing your pellet fireplace insert. We love Harman’s world-class pellet fireplace inserts.
Electric Fireplace Inserts – Appliance $$ | Installation $ | Maintenance none
Electric fireplace inserts are a fantastic solution if you want the ambiance of a fire without the challenges posed by real fire. No service required and easy installation are some of the big benefits of an electric unit. Electric fireplace inserts output about as much heat as a standard electric heater. The flexibility of electric fireplace inserts makes them an appealing option to improve the heating efficiency of your fireplace. See the innovation of SimpliFire’s beautiful electric fireplace inserts.
There are many different options to heat your home via your existing fireplace. If you are not getting the heat you want from your existing fireplace, an insert is a wonderful option! Please check out the fireplace inserts at The Stove Shop and give us a shout if you have any questions.
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