Why Professional Installation of a Wood-Burning Fireplace Insert Matters
A convenient and popular option to update the look of your fireplace or to update an old wood-burning fireplace to a more efficient fuel source, the new EPA-certified wood-burning stove fireplace inserts have many benefits and advantages. However, you should never take a chance by attempting to install a wood-burning fireplace insert on your own. Although inserts and stoves are made to sit in an existing fireplace, there are generally sizing issues as these appliances tend to be smaller than the average masonry fireplace. If these heating appliances are not correctly installed, they will not work efficiently and can be dangerous fire hazards. Chim Cheree, The Chimney Specialists would like to tell you more about why it is so important to have your wood-burning stove fireplace insert installed by a CSIA-certified technician, such as our professional installers.
Chim Cheree, The Chimney Specialists Will Inspect Your Chimney Before Installing Your New Wood-Burning Fireplace Insert.
To ensure your wood-burning stove fireplace insert will function properly, one of our CSIA-certified chimney sweeps will evaluate your chimney for a couple of important reasons. The existing flue in your chimney is most likely too large to properly vent your insert. We will take measurements of your insert and your flue. This step will make for the best possible match between the heating appliance and your chimney. Our inspection also allows us to have a reference point to see if any changes to your chimney have occurred in your future chimney inspections.
Chim Cheree, The Chimney Specialists Will Take Temperature Differentials and Smoke Residence Time Under Consideration When Installing Your Insert.
To function to its full efficiency level, the wood-burning stove fireplace insert and the venting system (your chimney) must be properly matched. As previously mentioned, many times, the flue of your chimney will be too large for the insert, and this can cause issues with both temperature differentials and smoke residence time. When the flue is disproportionately larger than your insert, it causes tornado-like drafts because a warm draft (the hot byproducts of combustion) is meeting a cold front (the upper chimney walls). According to the Chimney Safety Institute of America (CSIA), venting into an oversized flue is like pouring a hot cup of water into a sink filled with cold water. This creates the perfect atmosphere for the quick development of large creosote deposits on your chimney walls. A highly hazardous and combustible compound, creosote can become a hard and extremely flammable glaze that can easily ignite and cause a chimney fire. An oversized flue also leads to a long smoke residence time period, which also leads to creosote deposits building up more quickly than usual.
Chim Cheree, The Chimney Specialists Will Guarantee Your Wood-Burning Stove Fireplace Insert Is Correctly Matched with Your Chimney.
To solve the sizing problem, our technicians can install a stainless steel liner that encloses the wood-burning fireplace insert within the flue. We will custom size the liner to fit your appliance perfectly, which allows for the best efficiency performance possible and prevents the risk of a speedy development of large creosote deposits in your chimney.
If you are interested in updating your old fireplace with a new wood-burning stove fireplace insert, contact Chim Cheree, The Chimney Specialists. You can trust us to properly install your new heating appliance!