The Wood Fireplace Insert Blog

As with any other human activity, heating with wood can be done poorly or well.  Wood can be harvested badly, burned dirty with most of the heat wasted or it can be harvested in a sustainable way, burned in a clean, efficient manner with the energy used in a way that reduces  greenhouse gas emissions.

Obviously, we are all for the latter approach and you will find support for your efforts here – to use wood well. There are a lot of misconceptions about wood heating – hopefully we can help clear some of them up.  You’ll get a balanced view of the benefits of heating with wood.

Regardless of the energy source you choose, it will have an impact on the environment. The best energy sources are the ones that are renewable and the best are solar power and wind power since their environmental impacts tend to be the lowest. They do still have their problems and limitations however. Wood is another energy source that is renewable and it too has its problems and limitations.  Some of these can be managed and minimized, others cannot. But when used effectively, wood is a very good fuel compared to the alternatives like oil, gas and coal.

Wood Fireplace Insert

Technorati Tags: wood fuel, wood heating

Many homes have beautiful brick fireplaces that are simply used to create a certain ambiance for the room while others use their fireplace as a secondary heating source for the home and a primary heating source in case of a power outage.  Unfortunately conventional masonry fireplaces are extremely inefficient heat sources and create a lot of air pollution.

That is why the United States Environmental Protection Agency issued a standard for wood stoves and fireplace inserts in 1988.  This standard limits the amount of smoke emissions that can come from any newly built wood stove or insert.  Any wood stove or fireplace insert sold in the U.S. must meet the standards set by the EPA.

When certifying a stove or insert the EPA uses a measure of emissions called the emission rate.  When comparing different stoves or inserts to each other, the emission rate can be a reliable factor for deciding which models are cleaner burning.  For non-catalytic wood stoves the limit is 7.5 grams of smoke that can be released per hour.  The emission limit for catalytic stoves is 4.1 grams per hour.  With recent improvements in technology some stoves have been certified to release as little as 1 gram per hour.

Although catalytic inserts create a more even and longer burning heat, non-catalytic inserts are easier to maintain and run. Catalytic inserts have a catalytic element that should be cleaned regularly and the insert should be run at efficient heats to keep the element in good condition.  Burning anything other than clean seasoned wood can harm the element.  The element will typically need to be replaced anywhere between two and six years of use depending on how well it is maintained.

The main components of a non-catalytic wood burning insert include a system for pre-heating the combustion air before it gets to the firebox, insulation for the firebox itself and a large baffle that creates a flow path for the combustion gases that is longer and hotter.  This system creates an interesting flame pattern that many home owners find enjoyable to watch.  Because of the high heat created by a wood insert some of the internal parts may need replacement over time.

Technorati Tags: catalytic insert, epa standard, non-catalytic insert, wood insert emissions, wood stove emissions

According to energy management experts, heating a single area of the home to a comfortable temperature and keeping the rest of the home cooler may reduce heating costs.  The main methods of alternative heating are wood-burning, electric and gas.

Gas and wood stoves appeal to different customers for various reasons.  Those who prefer gas like the instant heat, the fact that their is no mess and the ability to control the temperature. Those who prefer burning wood like the ambiance of a real fireplace and typically have access to firewood, a way to haul it and time to gather it.  Some customers will opt for both.

If you want a wood burning insert but are concerned about wood sources, consider getting a pellet stove.

Pellet stoves burn a wood pellets (a renewable fuel made of saw dust and wood chips that are pressed into pellets). Pellet fireplaces are some of the cleanest-burning appliances available and are extremely efficient. Most pellet stoves require a power source to operate the fan and pellet feeder.

Pellets burn longer than wood. You can load the pellets in the morning and the stove will automatically feed itself throughout the day maintaining a set temperature.

Pellet stoves can be vented straight out of a wall the same way as a gas fireplace.

Like wood burning stoves, pellet stoves require a buildup of heat before the temperature will change in the room. But the pellet stove works better for maintaining a consistent temperature then a wood burning stove because the combustion process is controlled by a thermostat.

If you want instant heat at the flip of a switch you should probably go with a gas fireplace.

Pellet stoves do create ash, which will need to be removed, sometimes daily depending on the size and usage level of the stove.

If you have a source for fuel, wood burning stoves or fireplaces can provide the least expensive alternative heat source.

Technorati Tags: fireplace insert, gas insert, pellet stove, Wood Burning Insert, wood stove

For many people home heating is one of the largest expenses during the winter.  Most homes use either electricity, oil or natural gas for heating purposes. But perhaps it’s time to take a closer look at using wood as a fuel source.

People have heated their homes with wood for thousands of years, but I’m not talking about building a fire in the middle of your living room.  Wood heating appliances have improved dramatically over the past twenty years, making great improvements in efficiency and the reduction in emissions. A couple decades back, wood burning fireplaces and stoves were huge and not very efficient.  They would eat up wood faster than you could cut it and spew out smoke that would polute the air inside and out. Now, clean burning and highly efficient stoves, fireplaces and furnaces are owner-friendly, neighbour-friendly and environmentally-friendly.  Wood burning stoves and inserts are now legitimate heating options for homeowners.

A few year ago, “airtight” stoves were the best that could be had, but because wood needs air to burn cleanly the airtight stoves would not burn efficiently and produced a lot of smoke. The new “controlled combustion” stoves not only produce less smoke and pollution, but they are also more efficient, burning as much as thirty percent less wood. That’s thirty percent less wood to haul and thirty percent less wood to pay for.

For homes with a fireplace, a wood insert is a good way to turn an energy drain into an efficient source of heat. Fireplace inserts are available that are EPA certified to have the same efficient performance as new wood stoves. For new homes that are just being constructed a pre-fabricated steel fireplace is a great option. They are as efficient as the inserts and stoves and can be built right into a wall without the need for brickwork.

Pellet stoves are another viable heating option, and because of the convenience they offer they are becoming more popular every day. As the name implies pellet stove burn pellets rather than raw wood.  The pellets are made of waste wood and come in various size bags or in bulk.  The pellets are poured into a hopper that is part of the stove and from there are fed into the fire slowly by an electric feeder, providing heat that is steady and controlled thermostatically.

Although pellet stoves may be a little bit more expensive, they do have some great advantages. Because they are so efficient they don’t even require an EPA rating. The pellets are clean and easy to handle and typically they are available in many retail stores. And, they can be controlled by a thermostat so it is easy to maintain an even level of heat.

Besides wood inserts and stoves, wood burning furnaces and boilers designed to heat an entire home are also available.

Another advantage of heating with wood is that instead of spending your heating money on imported oil, coal and natural gas you keep the business in your local area.

Another big advantage to using wood heat is that they are more carbon neutral than fossil fuels, releasing carbon dioxide as it burns that it would have released anyway as it decomposed after having absorbed carbon dioxide as it grew.

Technorati Tags: heating with wood, wood heating, wood insert, wood stove

New homes using modern construction methods are more energy efficient and more air tight than ever before.  In many cases this is a good thing because it keeps the heat in the home and the cold air out, or visa versa in the summer.  Unfortunately a tight home can sometimes cause drafting problems for fireplace inserts. Wood burning fireplace inserts require air to keep a fire burning.  When a fireplace insert is unable to draw sufficient air from the home it will not burn as efficiently and can begin smoking.

Air supply ventilators can be added to help solve this problem.  Air supply ventilators are installed through an outside wall and bring outside air into the combustion chamber of the fireplace insert to provide combustion air for the fire.  That way the fire is consuming outside air rather than pulling inside air and heat into the insert and up the chimney.  The installation and operation of an air supply ventilator can be very simple.  There are no batteries or electrical wiring or ductwork needed.  A ventilator works automatically by taking advantage of the negative air pressure inside the home. It can be opened or shut manually.

Most include an exterior grill and insect screen.  They are made of ABS molded polymer and can be painted with latex paint to match your decor.

Technorati Tags: air supply ventilator, fireplace draft

Zero Clearance Wood Burning Fireplace?
My home doesn't have a traditional fireplace with a chimney. Is there a such thing as a wood burning fireplace that is easy to install in the living room without connecting it to gas? I don't want to use gas, just the wood as a fuel, so I can smell the burning wood and hear it crackle. . Is there a type of zero-clearance fireplace that does that??

Not well, The best you can do is see fire and get inefficient heat. I have burned the zero-clearance fire places until the metal inside the fire place has warped and it all happened because we were cold. Some have fans but they are not very good for heat.

i have an electric wood pellet burning fireplace. its cold i want to use it and i dont know how. can someone help me? dont have insructions and too late to call landlord. please help me.

There should be a hopper into which you pour the pellets, the easiest way to get the fire started is with a "starter stick", you can get them at any stove/fireplace shop or a place like Home Depot. Put one of those and a few pellets along with a little newspaper to get it going. There should be a timer on the stove to regulate the flow of the pellets. To make things even easier look in the Yellow Pages under stoves and call them with the make & model you have, they may have an owners manual for your type of stove.

I assume you're putting a stove inside of an existing fireplace? EPA stoves are the only way to go. There are several brands that have stoves on the more economical side, but you're still looking at spending $500-$2500 for the unit not counting install or liner.

try buck stove, lopi, avalon, vermont castings- I usually don't buy something because it's name brand, but i've found that in the woodstove world it does matter!

I need more info to recommend a specific model, fireplace size, house square footage, and so on. Good luck!

The problem with traditional brick fireplaces is most of the heat goes up the chimney.  Have you ever had a roaring fire in the fireplace and wondered why the room is freezing?   The fireplace is actually working against you.  The heat radiates a few feet into the room, and then gets sucked back into the fireplace. 

A fireplace does not control the burn. The only control is based on the wood that is put in the fireplace.  Because of this an open fireplace burns harder and faster and Seventy-five percent or more of the heat is lost up the chimney

The beauty of a wood fireplace insert is that it makes an existing fireplace much more efficient.

Installing a wood fireplace insert makes a good investment.  Depending on the size and type a fireplace insert can cost from $1,200 for a small basic model to $3,500 for a large, top-of-the-line insert before installation.

A wood fireplace insert is an insulated, closed-door system which gives you more control over the combustion process. Heat is radiated through the glass and stays in the room rather than being sucked up the flue.

A fireplace insert not only increases the efficiency of a fireplace but it also helps protect air quality by reducing emissions and provides multiple fuel options (such as wood, pellet, coal, corn, natural gas and propane) that are cost efficient. 

A wood-burning insert, provides a much cleaner and complete burn than an open fireplace.  When wood is burned in a regular fireplace, 150 grams or more unburned particulate matter is released into the air, whereas a wood-burning insert releases only 3 or 4 grams per hour.

In a closed-door system the smoke becomes another fuel and is burned in secondary combustion which increases the efficiency. It improves the air quality while increasing the heat in the home.

Technorati Tags: fireplace efficiency, wood fireplace insert

For those who depend on a fireplace to supplement their home heating a pellet burning fireplace insert should be a serious consideration. Pellet burning fireplace inserts are much like pellet stoves in the way they work and in their heating performance, but they are built so that they can be installed right into the firebox area of an existing fireplace.

Pellet inserts burn wood pellets that are made from wood waste materials that are left over from other manufacturing processes using wood.  These wood chips, saw dust, etc. are compressed to the point that they will stay in the pellet form. 

Compressing the material into pellets makes for a very handy way to deal with this fuel source because they can be easily poured into the pellet insert and they are easy to package and transport.  Pellets can be transported in bulk trucks or in bags that are convenient for home owners to purchase and transport.  They can also be easily stacked for storage.

Pellet inserts are among the cleanest burning heating fixtures on the market.  They are extremely efficient and very environmentally friendly.  Regular wood burning inserts have to be designed to meet EPA standards to be certified but because pellet inserts create such minimal pollution they do not even require EPA certification.  You may see EPA certifications on some model because the manufacturer voluntarily applied for it, but it is not required for pellet burning inserts.

Other differences between pellet burning inserts and regular wood inserts are that most pellet burning inserts require electrical power to run the pellet feeder mechanism and the fan(s).  Another difference is the way they can be vented.  Regular wood burning inserts usually need a chimney to vent smoke and gases whereas many pellet inserts can be vented right through a wall. 

Another feature that is often included in a pellet insert is a thermostat control that monitors the heat coming from the insert and adjusts air flow and pellet feeding to raise and lower temperatures as needed to maintain the desired room temperature.

There are many models and designs of pellet inserts on the market to choose from so you may want to compare features as well as appearance when it comes to installing a pellet burning fireplace insert.

Technorati Tags: pellet burning insert, pellet fireplace insert, Pellet Fireplaces, pellet insert