What makes a house a home? Its fireplace. What makes that fireplace special? The design, beauty and comfort of the hearth.

But the hearth isn’t just for your living room anymore.

October is National Fireplace Month, and we want to remind home builders and homeowners that, thanks to the ingenuity of designers and architects, a beautiful hearth can center any room of the house.

The hearth is the home’s heartbeat, the connection point for all who live there. For centuries, when you think of hearths, you envision living rooms and dens, but our lifestyles have changed. Where we congregate and how we spend our time has evolved. Combine those changes with home builders and remodelers’ creativity, and you can now consider a fireplace for nearly any room.

Consider these six spaces:

1. Bedrooms: Make your bedroom even cozier and consider giving it a cabin-like feel with a gas fireplace or even a stove.
2. Kitchen: Steep your morning tea and read the news at your breakfast nook warmed by an assuring, alluring flame.
3. Office/study: Want to fire up your best thinking? A sleek electric fireplace beside your home desk can be your best collaborator.
4. TV room: Fireplaces are the new flat screens. As more consumers cut the cable cords, hearth manufacturers are boldly reclaiming their rightful place as the TV room’s focal point, offering thin, long, horizontal gas fireplaces for installing in the center of the wall.
5. Bathrooms: An evening soak in warm suds can be made even more relaxing and intimate with a remote-control fireplace
6. Your outside wall: Want to make your home even more open? An indoor/outdoor fireplace connecting your favorite indoor room to your backyard patio truly opens up the home.

Warming up to the idea of fireplaces beyond the living room? Contact The Woodstove Fireplace & Patio Shop, your specialty retailer.

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Contemporary, see-through fireplaces that warm multiple rooms. Prefabricated gas fireplaces that mount directly to the wall. Electric fireplaces that look realistic and can really put out the heat.

No, these are not the fireplaces you knew when growing up in your parent’s home. Today’s fireplaces are designed for visual excitement, two-sided exposure and installation in locations previously unconsidered.

The conventional fireplace has all but been reinvented in recent years. Today’s fireplaces cater to the specific needs and wants of homeowners.

A decade ago, generally only the extremely wealthy would have considered having more than one fireplace in the house but, there are so many new products on the market today that can fit any budget and style.

While your parents may have had a wood-burning fireplace, the chances are that it wasn’t outfitted with an insert. Fireplace inserts with glass doors have become the standard, retaining the heat generated by the fire when in use, and limiting draft when not.

Woodstove design has also been updated in recent years, allowing for a wide array of designs ranging from traditional to ultra-contemporary.

Gas and electric fireplaces are now installed for aesthetics and mood as well as heating purposes. Architects have embraced the long, sleek horizontal fireplace surrounds and are incorporating them into their contemporary interior designs.

Equally exciting are two-sided fireplaces that are increasingly being used in home designs. When you consider the visual impact and benefits of a two-sided fireplace, the extra expense associated with it seems relatively low.

Second and third fireplaces are being installed in existing homes — sometimes for the calming effect they evoke. Specifically, and electric fireplaces that can be mounted directly to the wall, which in many cases do not require venting. Because of this, fireplaces are making appearances in kitchens, baths and other private rooms of the house.

Hearth-related innovations are not limited to home interiors. Outdoor fireplace kits using traditional masonry or pre-engineered masonry products range in design from simple to majestic. The gas-fueled fire pit has also been given a new stage with its integration into the design of patio furniture and other outdoor architectural features.

Many new forms of media, such as the simulated gemstones, have been developed for use in gas applications both in and outside the house. Other products include large river-worn stones and sophisticated metal sculptures.

To experience the true impact of these and other fireplace products, visit the showroom of The Woodstove Fireplace & Patio Shop, your local hearth shop.

salisburypost.com

The first day of fall has come and gone, and the evenings are getting cold in Massachusetts. The first frost followed by snow are right around the corner. If you've been thinking about adding a fireplace insert to your open fireplace and improve home heating efficiency, there couldn't be a better time. It seems like each year winter gets a few weeks longer. Fireplace inserts can help you heat your home more efficiently and effectively for less.

Fireplace inserts make home heating more efficient, are environmentally friendly, and put more heat into your living area. Wood burning fireplace inserts transform your inefficient open fireplace into an efficient, heat source and they will heat your home even when there is no power. Fireplace inserts look beautiful and work perfectly because they are especially designed for your existing fireplace.

You may have heard about the increased efficiency of a wood burning fireplace insert. This is because an insert burns wood better and cleaner than an open fireplace giving you more heat from each log. They also allow less warm air to escape through the chimney, letting more heat into your living space.

For more information on wood burning fireplace inserts, contact The Woodstove Fireplace & Patio Shop.

Below are some of the benefits of heating your home with pellet stoves and pellet fireplace inserts.

Pellet stoves and inserts are far more attractive and are taking a much more prominent place in the home than ever before. They no longer heat from the basement; pellets stoves offer main floor heating, easy access, and undeniable ambiance.

Fuel in unlikely places

Another benefit, less specific to households, but just as important is the waste and ‘trash’ that pellet stoves and pellet fireplace inserts are able to keep out of the landfills.

As technology develops and green energy becomes more of a focus, creative minds continue to explore ways to improve on renewable energy. People across Massachusetts are embracing ways to heat their homes for less; with fuel that is renewable.

Pellets are made from wood scrap. The wood scrap is compressed to make pellets which are sold in 40 lb bags which is less expensive than fossil fuels and easier to use, transport, and store than wood.

Investing in local communities

A pellet stove or insert allows home owners to shop for local renewable fuel and burn what is most readily available and low in price. Wood pellets are a renewable resource that can be bought locally which helps keep money, and jobs, in the local economy.

The decision to heat with a pellet stove will save money, keep dollars local, and make a huge difference in the warmth of your home in the winter.

There are countless benefits of heating with renewable fuel that thousands of homeowners have discovered for themselves.

For more information on pellet stoves, pellet burning fireplace inserts, contact The Woodstove Fireplace & Patio Shop.

renewableenergyfocus.com

If you've got an inefficient fireplace, you might as well be burning dollar bills.

Any heat generated is offset by the warmth of your house being sucked up the chimney and outside.

An open-masonry fireplace might be only 15 percent efficient. But if there is no fire and the damper is left open, it can have negative efficiency as warm air escapes.

The quest for efficiency starts with the type of fireplace you have. Or want. Gas and electric fireplaces are the most efficient, wood-burners are the least. Open-faced, traditional wood-burning fireplaces are very inefficient.

Go into a fireplace shop and look at all the difference fireplaces.

When you do renovations, wood-burning fireplaces generally don't click design-wise. A redesigned room doesn't have the bang with an open fireplace that looks and feels outdated because it burns wood. You get a better return for your dollar with gas.

So let’s talk about efficiency.

If you already have a fireplace, there are things you can do to improve efficiency. First, make sure your chimney is clean and safe. After that, it's mostly about the features.

Glass Fireplace Doors

Without doors, your fireplace will suck the heat out of your home and send it up the chimney. There's an endless variety of designs for fireplace doors with tempered or ceramic glass. An advantage of the latter is it lets some heat radiate back into the room. Doors

also add another level of safety, especially if there are kids around.

Damper

The throat damper is made of cast iron and sits near the bottom of the chimney and regulates air flow. It can warp or rust over time, compromising the seal and becoming less effective. The top mount damper sits atop the chimney and is preferred by some experts. Either way, keep the damper closed when the fireplace is not in use.

Fireplace Grates

Steel grates have a tendency to warp and wear out. A heavy-duty cast iron fireplace grate is recommended. Another possibility is one with a blower on the bottom that sends heat back into the room. This makes them 10 times more efficient.

Fireplace Inserts

Fireplace Inserts are enclosed cast iron boxes that use gas, pellets, or wood, and are retrofitted into existing fireplaces. They are very efficient, and can reduce a home heating bill between 20 and 40 percent.

For more information on making your fireplace more attractive and efficient, contact The Woodstove Fireplace & Patio Shop.

Source: Chicago Tribune

If you are considering a fireplace insert for your home, there are lots of advantages and benefits to consider including beauty, efficiency, cleaner burning, and a warmer home while spending less on heating.

A fireplace insert is a steel firebox that fits into your existing open fireplace. Air from inside your home is drawn into it, warmed from the fire, and then blown back into your home. This radiant heat is one of the advantages of a wood insert. Open fireplaces lose hot air up the chimney, fireplace inserts improve the efficiency of an open fireplace by putting more heat into your home.

Wood Burning Fireplace Inserts are much more energy efficient, which means they improve the efficiency of your whole home. Fires make more heat, so your thermostat stays low. They burn efficiently, so they make less smoke than an open fireplace too.

Fireplace inserts also have an advantage over an open fireplace in regards to air quality as well. Because it is enclosed, less particles are put into the air. They burn hotter than an open fireplace, which means they get more heat out of every piece of firewood. So not only they do they “burn cleaner,” this also means you will save money on heat. But, even though they are enclosed, they are designed with large glass doors for a full view of the fire.

But besides all of these practical advantages, they are more attractive as well. Fireplace inserts often offer design options so that there is a style to match your home décor. Surrounds can be blended with your living space to ad to your home's personality and comfort.

For more information, contact The Woodstove Fireplace & Patio Shop.

Whether entertaining friends or cozying up with a favorite book, there's nothing like a warm glowing fire to add ambiance and warmth to the home. But hauling and storing firewood and cleaning up messy ashes can make building a wood-burning fire a hassle. This season easily transform a wood-burning fireplace and experience the beauty and benefits of gas logs while saving money, time and the environment.

Beautiful

Today's gas log sets produce a stunning, realistic flame that can rival any wood-burning log. A wide range of wood types is available, from birch to oak, as well as colored glass and gems and accessories to add personal style to any hearth.

Economical

Gas logs are generally inexpensive to buy and install and cost about a quarter per hour of what it costs to burn wood. Some gas logs are more than 99 percent efficient.

Convenient

Gas logs allow for instant enjoyment. With a touch of a button, the fireplace turns on and off. There's no need to purchase, store and season wood and clean up and dispose of messy ashes.

Safe

Gas logs prevent flying sparks, common with wood, that might burn a rug or cause other damage. They don't create indoor particulate matter that is harmful to asthmatics and those with respiratory issues.

Environmentally Friendly

Burning gas logs helps preserve natural resources for generations to come by eliminating harmful particulate matter in the air.

Which Gas Logs

Real Fyre Gas Logs offers more than 40 authentic styles, each handcrafted and hand-painted to deliver a realistic look with dancing flames and a glowing bed of lively embers.

Real Fyre gas logs are manufactured in the U.S.A. using stringent standards and the most advanced technology. Companion accessories such as remote controls, pinecones, acorns, additional branches and many other items further enhance the beauty and authenticity of your hearth.

For more information, contact The Woodstove Fireplace & Patio Shop.

Many people are interested in having their wood fireplaces converted to gas. A wood burning fire is relaxing and comforting, but some homeowners are tired of lugging and stacking wood. They are interested in replacing the open fireplace with a gas fireplace. But, what does that entail?

A gas fireplace is easy to use and maintain. That's why so many people seem to prefer gas fireplace inserts these days.

Chimney inspection

It's important to be certain your chimney is clean and fully functional. A professional chimney sweep will give you an inspection and can tell you whether your chimney will accommodate a gas unit.

You'll also need to hire someone to extend your home's existing gas line to the fireplace. Plumbers and HVAC technicians are often qualified. If your home doesn't have a natural gas connection, and service is available where you live, you can pay for a connection.

Choose a gas insert or gas logs

Next, decide what kind of gas fireplace insert you want. When converting from a wood-burning unit, you have three options:

• a gas fireplace insert
• vented gas logs
• vent-free gas logs

To choose, consider how you expect to use your fireplace.

If you want to add warmth to your home, consider a gas insert or vent-free gas logs. Of these two options, vent-free gas logs produce the most heat, but they may introduce unburned combustion products into your home and aren't recommended for homeowners with allergies or asthma. Also, some municipalities have restricted or outlawed vent-free fireplaces.

Gags logs are your best option if you don't care about adding heat, don't plan to use the fireplace often or are mostly interested in how the fire looks. Vented burn more gas than the other types and may draw heat up the chimney, but they cost less to install than a gas insert.

For more information on the best choice for your home and your lifestyle, contact The Woodstove Fireplace & Patio Shop for more information.

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