Gas Fireplace Inserts
Gas fireplace inserts are designed to convert an existing wood burning fireplace (pre-fabricated or masonry) to a sealed, convenient gas heater. With a gas fireplace insert, you can avoid the hassles of removing ash and unsightly soot, or hauling wood into the home. A gas fireplace insert consist of a decorative log set installed in a metal molded firebox with special vent pipes that carries the fumes to the outside through the existing chimney, and are usually fronted with a glass pane. Many models offer a fan or blower to boost heat movement into the room. Circulating warmth at a flip of a switch, they are available with wall switches or wall-mounted thermostats, and also remote controls so you can program them to work for you automatically.
Quality gas inserts are direct vented, which means that 100% of the combustion air used by the fireplace comes from outside the home through a direct vent pipe. These inserts use a double-pipe system, one that draws outside air in for combustion and the other lets exhaust gases out. The exhaust vent pipe also expels all combustion by-products outside the home, eliminating fumes, water moisture, and indoor air contamination. It is necessary to completely line the chimney to the top with two flexible aluminum or stainless steel pipes to assure proper balance of the intake and exhaust. Direct vent gas fireplace inserts offer greater heating efficiency because they don’t steal heated air from the living space. Due to their high efficiency, direct vent gas fireplace inserts can pay for themselves over a period of a few years in gas bill savings.
Some gas fireplace inserts are B-vented, which means they use a single pipe system. These units are slightly less efficient than direct vent because they draw air from inside the home, through ports in the firebox itself. The fireplace then exhausts the byproducts of combustion outside of the home using a dedicated B-Vent flue pipe. Although combustion air is used from inside your home, products of combustion are never vented into your home.
Recent break-through in burner technology now provide a fire so much like a wood fire that even experts must look closely to see the difference! If you are looking for an easy-to-use supplemental zone heater to help you control those high home heating bills while providing the beauty of a flickering fire, check out the gas inserts at your local retailer, or shop online for greater selection.