With the winter season in full swing, you should think about your home heating options. Wood burning insert vs fireplace. Which one is better?
Wood Burning Insert Vs Fireplace
Traditional fireplaces are a source of nostalgia as they bring back fond memories of family gatherings, the holiday season and festivities during the winter. Although old-fashioned fireplaces are fine works of art and reminiscent of winter fun, they have an efficiency of just 10 to 20 percent which leaves a lot to be desired.
There are other issues as well. The heated air from your living space can go up the chimney in traditional fireplace with an open damper. The temperature of the fireplace also goes down due to the open design. This greatly reduces efficiency.
How Fireplace Inserts Improve Traditional Fireplaces
But with a fireplace insert, the burning process becomes more efficient as temperatures can go much higher while heat losses are mitigated. Installing a fireplace insert can result in an efficiency of 60 to 80 percent, which is a massive improvement over the open hearth. You can thus save a lot of cash in the long term with a high grade fireplace insert.
Fireplace inserts also come in aesthetically pleasing models to make your fireplace look even more charming. Besides cost savings and better efficiency, the right fireplace insert can also make your fireplace much safer. Since the fireplace insert is tightly sealed there is no danger of an embers falling out.
It should be obvious that fireplace inserts are a highly cost effective upgrade to the traditional fireplace.
The design of the insert allows for improved heating. The insert helps to seal off your original fireplace. Thanks to smart design, the refractory chamber is able to draw in cool air, heat it up and recirculate it around the room for more uniform and better heating.
Less Emissions
With an insert in place, emissions will be minimized, which in turn will do your health and the environment a lot of good. The inherently better combustion capability of the fireplace insert means that wood burning will be more complete and thus give off less toxic fumes. Smoke and embers are well contained when a wood burning insert graces your fireplace. Your property will also benefit when your insert-upgraded fireplace emits fewer particles and soot into your living space.
Less Work
Thanks to better combustion characteristics, you need to replace wood less often with a fireplace insert. With a fireplace insert, you can sit back and relish the warmth instead of slaving away at your fireplace.
