Many of us in the Bucks and Montgomery County area have easy access to fallen timber, which makes the idea of a wood-burning fireplace, stove or insert particularly appealing. With a wood-burning unit, you can bring beautiful ambiance and added heat to your space and, often enough, pay little or nothing for the fuel you use in it. Plus, with all the advances made in wood-burning appliances, you can burn wood and still be eco-friendly!

Is wood right for you? Depending on your particular space and what you hope to get out of a heating appliance, one type of fuel may be more fitting than another. American Chimney’s technicians can go over the various fuel choices and their benefits (Gas Inserts), and help you settle on a new appliance that fits your lifestyle and home perfectly.

If You Don’t Have An Existing Heating Appliance

If you’re adding a brand new appliance – as opposed to replacing or upgrading an old one — a fireplace or stove will be the best choice for your needs. Stoves are generally looked at as the best zone heaters, so if warmth is what you’re really going for, that might be your first inclination. That said, many of the prefabricated fireplaces on the market today are designed to reflect a lot of heat into a space as well. The choice between a fireplace and a stove often comes down to aesthetic preference and placement — stoves can be installed as free-standing units, while fireplaces are installed into a wall of the home. But prefabricated fireplaces and stoves are available in a wide variety of looks, from classic to modern, so you’ll have a lot of options regardless of which type of appliance you settle on.

If You Have An Existing Unit

If your old fireplace or stove is looking the worse for wear, or is no longer functioning properly or at the level of safety you expect and need, an insert could be an ideal way to upgrade your space. Inserts are designed to be retrofitted into an existing appliance, making installation easy and labor costs inexpensive. Once installed, you’ll have an appliance that looks great and, more than likely, functions far better than the original appliance did.

Something To Keep In Mind About Wood

Using fallen timber in your wood-burning appliance is great, but always keep in mind: wood needs to be dried properly before you use it as fuel. Green wood or wood with a higher moisture content causes your fire to burn cooler and produce more smoke and more creosote. This has negative effects in both the short and long term, from impeding your chimney’s draft to contributing to the development of Stage 3 or “glazed” creosote (which is incredibly difficult to remove and incredibly flammable, too).

To get your firewood ready for use, make sure it’s covered and protected from rain in a way that still allows air to flow around it — for six months to a year.

If you’d like to talk about having a new wood-burning fireplace, stove or insert installed, call American Chimney at 215-364-0881 – our CSIA-certified techs are ready to help! You can also use our convenient online scheduling form!

Because we do all kinds of fireplace and chimney sales and installations, we can replace factory-built, prefabricated fireplace walls and screens.

If your wood-burning stove requires too much work or upkeep for you and your family to really enjoy it, you have options. You could have a new gas insert installed, or.....Read More