Has your old wood-burning fireplace seen better days? If you are ready to update your fireplace, consider installing a gas-fueled fireplace insert. Older wood-burning fireplaces can be unsafe to use as well as extremely inefficient. Installing a fireplace insert is an economical and simple way to renovate your existing older fireplace, and, even better, today’s inserts make highly efficient heating appliances that can save you up to 40% on your winter heating bills. You can even update the look of your fireplace from classic and traditional to sleek and contemporary with a gas fireplace insert installation. The Mad Hatter would like to tell you more about the advantages of converting an old wood-burning fireplace to a newer, environmentally-friendly gas-fueled heating appliance by installing an insert.
Newer Technology Has Improved the Appearance of a Gas Flame.
Although some people refuse to believe a gas-fueled fire could ever look realistic enough to be mistaken for a wood-burning fire, natural gas or propane does produce a warm, beautiful fire over realistic, fake logs, decorative glass chips, or stones. As seen from behind glass doors, these fires both look and feel like “the real thing.”
Gas Fireplace Inserts Are Easily Installed into Existing Fireplaces.
Whether you have a masonry or a prefabricated fireplace, gas inserts are designed to fit and can be vented through the attached chimney. However, to be safe, a new custom-sized stainless steel chimney liner should be installed along with the insert for proper ventilation.
Gas Inserts are Excellent Sources of Supplemental Heating.
According to the National Association of Realtors’ home improvement website, HouseLogic, this type of fireplace insert is perfect to heat the room where you and your family are, while lowering the thermostat in the rest of the house to save on heating bills.
Less Maintenance Is Involved with a Gas Fireplace as Compared with a Wood-Burning Unit.
While you do need to have an annual chimney sweeping, you do not have to worry about cleaning out the buildup of flammable creosote deposits in your chimney since gas does not produce creosote like burning wood does. You also will not have to sweep up ashes after a gas-fueled fire.
Gas Fireplace Inserts Are Much More Environmentally-Friendly.
If you are concerned about pollution and other environmental issues, a gas-fueled fire releases very little toxins into the air as there is no smoke created. The efficiency ratings of gas fireplace inserts burn with a 65% to 99% rating, and many units are approved by the US Environmental Protection Agency as clean burning heating appliances.
Gas Fireplace Inserts Give You More Options on Where They Can Be Installed.
There are two kinds of gas inserts: vented and ventless. Vented gas inserts must be installed in an existing fireplace, but you can have a ventless gas insert installed without a chimney. However, ventless gas appliances could possibly be hazardous as carbon monoxide can leak into your home as toxic gases can become trapped within your house. Fortunately, many gas fireplace inserts come equipped with an oxygen-depletion sensor that will shut off the gas before carbon monoxide can reach dangerous levels.
Want to know more about converting an old fireplace to a gas-fueled unit? Contact The Mad Hatter today to learn more about our gas fireplace inserts selection and installation.