What is a Fireplace Insert? There’s nothing like a blazing fireplace to make sense of comfort and warmth. However, there’s a downside to the traditional wood-burning fireplace, whether it’s a factory-built fireplace or a masonry fireplace heat loss.
Fireplaces are not very efficient. They pull hot air out of the room and into the fire. A lot of energy or heat is lost up the chimney and the material that surrounds it. When the temperature drops to freezing, a fireplace exhausts energy than it creates. The patio, hearth, and barbecues association rates older fireplace’s efficiency at 5 percent to 10 percent.
Most fireplace inserts are designed to enhance fireplace efficiency. An insert is a fireproof box that’s surrounded by cast iron or steel and fronted by insulated glass, creating a closed combustion system. The cast iron and steel help to trap the heat. Some inserted fireplaces have a blower that pushes the hot air back into the room through front vents.
Properly installed, the fireplace insert can create a more efficient supplemental zone heater than the traditional fireplace. It offers various benefits over a conventional fireplace, but only if it is installed correctly. Let’s talk about the fireplace insert, and everything you want to know starts with three different options.
Types of Fireplace Inserts
- Gas
- Wood
- Electric
Gas Fireplace Insert
If you are done with the wood-burning fireplace, and the convenience of gas logs in the fireplace, then consider a gas fireplace insert. Direct vent inserts are the best choice for fireplaces with the gas supply available and installed. The burning gas fireplace insert that is direct vented performs well without the inside air for combustion. However, both the air and the exhaust vent outside.
Is Gas Insert Use Existing Fireplace Chimney?
Direct vent appliances utilize the exhaust fumes and outside air the outdoors. Moreover, It’s for the reason direct vent fireplace inserts have two vents. One vent draws in exhausts and the other air it outside. All direct vent models have this feature.
Do the Gas Fireplace Inserts Have Blowers?
Direct vent gas insert has different features hearth lovers are looking for. Moreover, the blowers move the heat into the room. Accent lighting and remote controls are a few available features found on fireplace inserts that burn gas.
Additional considerations are the direct venting for appliances, as well as the proper gas supply. Electricity is a common need for different types of inserts, especially electric fireplace inserts.
Wood Burning Fireplace Inserts
The wood-burning fireplace insert provides more enjoyment and heat than a conventional masonry fireplace. If you feel the need to continue to burn wood fires, and you wish for more heat, this is the best choice. Wood fireplace inserts have been around for more than years, and their appeal is undeniable.
However, with all these features and benefits, there’s an installation that not every homeowner is aware of. Wood-burning fireplace insert needs its exhaust connector. While the original fireplace and clay flue liner can use as a passageway, the original chimney flue can’t use to vent the new wood-burning insert.
A chimney and connector system, designed especially with the wood-burning insert in mind, in addition to a wood-burning stove, insert into the fireplace.
How Much Wood Fireplace Insert Cost?
A DIY wood-burning insert may be found for under 2000$. However, the chimney liner system costs that much. By the time a new liner system completes installation and the unit is bundled together, the cost could exceed 5000$. But the cost of this fireplace is worth it to ensure the installed fireplace is functional and safe.
With the wood fireplace insert, you can get heat without replacing the chimney and fireplace, however, with these features and benefits. There’s the need for installation; not every homeowner is aware of it. A wood-burning fireplace needs its exhaust connector and flue.
While the original fireplace and clay flue liner can use as a passageway, the original chimney flue can’t use to vent the wood-burning insert. A chimney and connector system, designed with the wood insert, would be a necessary addition to the stove inserted into the fireplace.
How Much Wood Fireplace Inserts Cost?
A wood-burning insert was found for 2000$. The chimney liner system could cost more; by the time the liner system and installed and inserted a bundle together cost could exceed 5000$. But the cost of the unit is worth it to ensure the installed fireplace insert is functional and safe.
Why Chimney Liner Necessary With Wood Insert?
The original chimney liner used for a fireplace would be too large to vent a smaller, wood-burning insert properly. If the original fireplace liner was used, the exhaust would move slowly and cause excessive creosote build-up.
- Creosote build-up through wood burning insert chimney is one cause of chimney fires. There’re few ways to minimize chimney fires with wood insert:
- Properly installed wood insert chimney and fireplace liner system.
- Burning best firewood
- Regular chimney sweeping maintenance
- Annual chimney inspections
Electric Fireplace Insert
Electric fireplace inserts are new on the hearth and were seen using color LED lights and other electric features; they reproduce an appearance that mimics a real fire surrounded by artificial logs. Because electric fireplace inserts don’t have a real flame, they produce little heat from actual combustion. Most electric fireplace inserts have various features of heating elements that produce heat from elements that glow heat with the use of electricity.
Do Electricity Insert Need Chimney?
Unlike wood-burning and direct vent systems, an electric fireplaces never need a chimney to vent combustible by-products. However, they have other needs that gas and wood-burning fireplace inserts may not require. Electric fireplace inserts use resistance from electric elements to generate hot air for the room. Electric heating appliances consume more electricity beyond lights and blowers. Verified electric circuits should be used with heating appliances, especially electrical fireplace inserts.
They are fantastic options for commercial and home settings where a traditional wood or gas insert can’t be installed due to code restrictions or where the cost of renovation of an old fireplace is too steep. Hopefully, our guide will help you to choose the best fireplace insert.
