Stove, Fireplace & Insert Installation

Expert Stove, Fireplace & Insert Installations

If you’re looking to add a new appliance to your home, Northeastern Masonry & Chimney can help you find the right one and install it properly, to last through years of use and enjoyment.

Whether you want a stove, a fireplace or an insert, you have a lot of different choices when considering a new appliance: what fuel that appliance will burn as well as the shape, size and color. Your ideal appliance will depend on your lifestyle, your space and your budget, and Northeastern Masonry & Chimney can help you every step of the way.

The Difference Between Fireplaces, Stoves And Inserts

Fireplaces
Fireplaces are traditional heating appliances that can add a lot of beauty and ambiance to a space. Depending on the specific appliance, it may or may not make a great source of room heat.

Traditional fireplaces are built on-site with brick and mortar, and to properly support those heavy materials, the construction of a concrete footing is necessary. That limits the placement somewhat, and in most cases, this kind of fireplace is built when the home is. Since open combustion systems like these lose a fair amount of heat up the chimney, they aren’t incredible zone heaters, though they do provide warmth and a whole lot of great ambiance. Plus, masonry tends to last a long, long time, and can add a lot of value to a home.

Factory-built fireplaces, on the other hand, are lighter and allow for more flexible placement — they’re built in a factory and installed on site, and don’t need a footing. EPA-certified, factory-built fireplaces work with closed combustion, with glass doors closing the system, so they can add a significant amount of heat to a room. These appliances are also designed to be highly efficient, making great use of fuel with little waste and lower levels of byproducts.

Stoves
If zone heating is what you’re really going for, a stove can be your best choice — today’s stoves are made to be incredibly fuel efficient and to put out a lot of heat. Whether you need to warm a room or heat up a whole house, odds are there’s an appliance that can ably do the job.

Stoves can vent through the roof, like a fireplace, or through a wall, and since modern stoves are well insulated and remarkably airtight, your placement choices are vast — many have clearances to combustibles as low as six inches. Modern stoves are available in a wide variety of looks, too, from your traditional cast iron cabin-style stove to slick and modern steel units.

Inserts
Inserts were designed to be retrofitted into an existing fireplace to improve a poorly-functioning or worn-down appliance. These can quickly take a fireplace that’s unfit for use and an eyesore and make it a beautiful and functional part of your home.

Like prefabricated fireplaces and stoves, inserts are made to be fuel efficient and cleaner burning than traditional fireplaces. An insert can make for a great additional source of zone heating, and some units are particularly suited for that use, with fans and thermostats that make them easier and more effective.

Different Fuels To Choose From

When having a new heating appliance installed, most homeowners choose between wood and gas. Each has some particularly beneficial properties.

Wood
Wood provides the classic ambiance many homeowners love, and as a fuel, it’s easy to find, renewable and can be easy on the budget (it’s often free for homeowners in wooded areas — though it’s important to make sure wood is given six months to a year to dry properly before it’s burned). With wood, however, comes some work: You’ll need to either purchase or chop and stack and store your wood, build the fire in your firebox with every use, and clean up ash regularly.

Gas
If you lead a particularly busy life, gas is often the choice for you — it takes almost no fire-to-fire effort, since you’re flipping a switch or pushing a button to turn your fire on and off. It also requires very little cleanup, and no chopping and stacking. You don’t have an exact replica of the dancing flames in a wood-burning fireplace, but the gas logs on the market now are impressively lifelike, and produce a beautiful flame.

Whatever your lifestyle or preferences, Northeastern Masonry & Chimney can find and install the right heating appliance for you. Give us a call at 518-767-9315 or click here for more information or to make an appointment!

 

We look forward to serving you for all your chimney and fireplace needs. Now would be a great time to schedule your appointment with our expert team at Northeastern Masonry & Chimney!