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. If you have a masonry chimney, you can often get a fireplace insert.
In the 45+ years we have been in business, the same questions about getting more heat arise. “How can I get more heat from my fireplace?”
Question: “How do you get more heat from your fireplace?”
Masonry wood-burning fireplaces are often an inefficient heat source for Pennsylvania homes. During colder months the money you spend heating your home with electricity or oil is being sucked up your masonry chimney when the damper is open. Many folks has inefficient gas fireplaces or cold wood fireplaces taking up space and looking ugly. There are many different solutions to get more heat from your fireplace, here are some of the most common:
- Shut the Fireplace Damper
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. Top mounted dampers are commonly recommended, but we find a damper close to the firebox is more efficient to close off as much of the chimney as possible.
- Install a Fireplace Insert
Get impactful heat and the beautiful ambiance of fire with a fireplace insert. Inserts seal off the space, keep out the cold air and create a warmth gain through using pellet, wood, gas or electricity to create heat.
- Preserve your Chimney & Close Off
If you intend to never use your fireplace again, close off your chimney. The chimney is a valuable asset in your home often adding significant value to your home. Take care of your chimney to preserve your home’s value.
Answer – Fireplace Experts: “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 most during the day and leaves the rest of the home cool at night. No one likes a hot bedroom anyway!
Fireplace inserts add value to your home, increase energy savings, improve home energy efficiency and reduce your oil/electricity bill! Stay warm and save money with a fireplace insert.
Which fireplace insert fuel type is the best for my home?
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.
Gas fireplace inserts are often the best option for customers with natural gas access. Propane can be a bit more expensive. Saving money and staying warm is deeply important to many folks. Gas fireplace inserts are the most popular product we sell because you can hit a button and get heat almost immediately. (A gas insert on full provide 3-4 electric space heaters worth of heat – about 35,000 BTU’s.)
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.
Wood fireplace inserts are simple and reliable tools to heat your home. a metal box that gets hot that rarely needs service. Quality seasoned and a yearly sweep are the most important factors to success with a wood fireplace insert.
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.
Pellet fireplace inserts provide bone warming heat as long as you have a place to store the 50 lbs. pellet fuel bags. Pellet is wonderful for folks who can’t be home to fill a firebox every 2-3 hours. Pellet fireplace inserts can run on a thermostat and can even be equipped with a battery backup in case you lose power!
Electric Fireplace Insert
Electric fireplace inserts are a wonderful, affordable option most beneficial for folks in apartments, condos, multi-family housing or retirement communities.
Electric fireplace inserts are a lovely affordable heating option that provide as much heat as a standard space heater. All you need is electric fireplace unit and electricity installation inside of your fireplace.
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.
