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Wood Stove Inserts – Why You Should Upgrade Your Fireplace

One of the easiest ways to install a wood stove into your home is to pick up a wood stove insert; a ready-made metal wood stove that simply slides into the cavity left by your original fireplace.

Attractive yet unobtrusive, inserts are easy to install and easily provide more than enough heat for several adjacent rooms.

Enhance Your Fireplace With Wood Stove Inserts

Wood stove inserts can enhance the look of your fireplace. They are usually made of cast iron or can be made of plate steel. Most have a glass panel in the front of the unit to allow you to watch the flames dance inside the stove.

Today, many models and styles are available. So, it is very easy to find one that matches your personal taste and home decor. Choices can include models that protrude onto the hearth where the additional surface area of the insert provides more radiant heat.

Many wood stove inserts have small, unobtrusive electric fans that blow the warm air out into the surrounding room rather than letting it stay in the hearth. They can be operated manually or with the help of a thermostat for evenly heat distribution. You will find that the heat actually reaches more areas of your home, reducing the amount of fuel required.

Increase Heat Efficiency With Wood Stove Inserts

Wood stove inserts make fireplaces more heat efficient. The inserts keep heat from escaping through the masonry of the fireplace. The lining provides and extra layer between the fire and the hearth that keeps the hot air in the house.

The glass panel that covers the fireplace opening can keep heat that is already in the house from escaping up the flue when the fireplace is not in use. By preventing heat loss, wood stove inserts allow heat to circulate longer inside the house.

They are far easier to clean and maintain as the floors of the inserts are straight and flat. You can simply sweep or scoop up any ash or dust. You will not have the same problem with soot build-up like a standard fireplace may have.

EPA Certified Wood Stove Inserts

To prevent the smoke created from the fireplace to harm you and family, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recommends that you install one of the EPA certified wood stove inserts, fireplace inserts, or pellet stove.

Certified stoves can reduce smoke emissions by as much as 90% compared to conventional stoves, and are much more efficient and eco-friendly.

Online shopping is probably not the first thing that would cross your mind when considering the purchase of a wood stove insert. However, there are a growing list of online stores that offer a wide selection of the most popular makes and models.

Some of the more popular brands are Drolet, Zero Clearance, SoapStone, Englander, Ashley, Lopi and Jotul Wood Stove Insert. A quick search will allow to very competitive pricing and listings of their models online. Who can deny how the flickering ambiance of a real wood fire brings hearth and home alive!