Full Masonry Fireplace Vs Fireplace Insert

Efficiency

• Fireplace inserts are designed to Environmental Protection Agency standards to be clean burning and highly efficient. The steel shell of the firebox takes air from inside the home, heats it and radiates it back into the room. Open masonry tends to absorb heat, which draws it away from the room.

Maintenance

• Traditional fireplaces are messy and can create a layer of creosotes inside the chimney. Creosotes are combustible deposits formed when smoke is cooled. It is recommended that the chimney of a masonry fireplace be cleaned annually.

  Some inserts are installed with direct ventilation into the chimney. Since the original masonry fireplace was not designed for the smaller firebox of an insert, smoke may not clear from the flue efficiently, causing it to linger longer and deposit more creosotes. Fireplace inserts need to be removed to clean the chimney.

Better ventilation

• Fireplace inserts installed with a full relining system avoid the problem of inadequate ventilation by running a stainless steel pipe from the insert to the top of the chimney. A full relining system can more than double installation costs of a fireplace insert, but it improves fireplace performance.