Choosing Your Fireplace

Choosing Your Fireplace

Looking for a wood or gas fireplace? If you are thinking about adding a hearth appliance to your home or replacing an existing appliance you will want to consider which appliance makes the most sense for your space and your lifestyle. You will want your new fireplace to suit your décor, and there are many options when it comes to style, including contemporary and traditional looks. Woodburning and gas appliances both offer a variety of design elements to consider, such as linear and rectangular configurations, and see-through and three-or-four-sided bay fronts. The type of appliance installation is also an important factor in choosing the right fireplace for you. There are three options available.

Built-in Fireplaces

Even without a chimney, you can have a fireplace! The zero clearance fireplace allows you to place an appliance just about anywhere. This type of pre-fabricated fireplace is usually used in situations where there is no existing fireplace installation. You simply need a wall. Most zero clearance appliances are safe to install within inches of combustible material such as drywall and wood, and your qualified hearth specialist will direct you in to choosing the correct appliance for your situation. Depending on the location of the appliance and the fuel requirements, the exhaust pipe will exit directly through the wall or through the roof. Zero clearance wood or gas fireplaces offer excellent installation flexibility. Once you’ve chosen, have it installed by a qualified professional and finalize the decor to your taste.

Fireplace Inserts

A fireplace insert, or built-in fireplace, is a factory-built metal box that is designed to be installed in the existing cavity of a masonry or open fireplace. The insert turns your old, inefficient fireplace into an efficient, cleaner burning one, saving you money and providing much more effective heating. You’ll find many options available in this category of appliance, including style and fuel options.

Free-standing Stoves

Traditionally, free-standing stoves tended to be relegated to the basement and were mainly used for heating. Today, the stove, whether wood, gas or pellet, has many advantages. Installation usually does not require much finishing work. Modern stoves are now much more beautiful, efficient, and cleaner burning than ever before. Indeed, the stove is back in fashion and manufacturers have designed exciting new stoves with great new looks. Stoves are now counted among high-end appliances and are popular with design professionals.

You can now distinguish between the three types of hearth appliances and make the best choice for your home. Visit a HPBAC Specialty Hearth Retailer to see all the wonderful possibilities or visit manufacturer and local retailer websites.

How Well Do You Know Your Hearth?

How Well Do You Know Your Hearth?

1. What is a hearth?

a) The floor of the fireplace where the fire burns
b) The area in front of the fireplace
c) A symbol of one’s home
d) All of the above

2. Which lyric in the French Canadian National Anthem also means fireplace in French?

a) Fleurons
b) Valeur
c) Foyers
d) Trempée

3. Who is the Greek goddess  of the hearth?

a) Vesta
b) Hestia
c) Hephaestus
d) Artemis

4. The pronunciation of Hearth rhymes with which word?

a) Earth
b) Fourth
c) Beer
d) Scarf

5. How long should you let  wood dry before you burn it in your hearth appliance?

a) 1 month
b) 3 months
c) 6 months
d) 1 year

6. What is the optimum moisture rate for firewood before burning it in your hearth appliance?

a) Less than 10%
b) Less than 20%
c) Less than 30%
d) Less than 40%

7. The oldest hearth in the world  (300,000 years old) was  discovered in a cave where?

a) Israel
b) Turkey
c) Romania
d) Egypt

8. When is it believed the first  indoor fireplace was used?

a) 17th century
b) 12th century
c) 16th century
d) 10th century

Answers 1d; 2c; 3b; 4d; 5c; 6b; 7a, 8b

The Many Faces of Hearth Appliances

The Many Faces of Hearth Appliances

Fire has been a part of family life since the dawn of civilization. For millennia, the family hearth has provided heat, a place to prepare food and served as a central gathering place. Even in the modern era, the hearth continues to provide comfort and warmth and bring people together. There have, however, been many advancements in recent years to the performance of the appliance and its design, making them more attractive and efficient in a variety of options.

Although producing fire is at the centre of all hearth products, there are some notable differences between the various appliances. For instance, many homeowners opt for a gas hearth appliance mainly for the convenience and ease of use. But did you know that today’s gas hearth appliances are available in decorative and heating options and in energy-efficient models?

Decorative gas fireplaces provide a beautiful flame but are engineered to provide very little heat so you can have the look of a cozy fire without overheating a room.

Heating gas hearth appliances provide radiant heat that warms the room much more quickly than convected heat, bringing comfort and atmosphere to a room in a shorter time frame. These appliances are available in many styles and sizes.

For traditionalists, wood burning hearth appliances warm the home with radiant heat at a very low cost and provide a beautiful flame. Modern, EPA or CSA-certified, woodburning stoves, inserts and fireplaces burn about 90% cleaner and use at least 30% less fuel when good burn practices are employed. There are wood burning appliances available to suit every style and need, even to heat an entire home.

Modern hearth appliances are engineered for efficiency and performance while also being designed to add value and style to any room. Visit the HPBAC website for ideas or to find a specialty hearth retailer near you where you can shop for the latest models in traditional, contemporary and rustic designs. You’ll be sure to find something to bring coziness to the spaces in your home where you like to relax and unwind.

Glossary

Hearth Appliance: A solid or fossil fuel burning stove, fireplace, furnace, boiler, water heater, heater or cook stove.

Convective Heat: The natural movement of air as it heats up and expands. This creates a natural flow of air as the warmer air moves upward and is replaced by cooler air.

CSA: Canadian Standards Association

EPA:  Environmental Protection Agency (US)

Efficiency: The percentage of heat that goes into the room instead of up the chimney.

Hearth: The surface under and/or in front of your stove or fireplace, often made of brick, or tile.

Radiant Heat: Heat that moves out in waves from a central point and heats objects in its path. The invisible and harmless radiation emitted by a hot object. This radiation is converted into heat when it is absorbed.

Prepping for Winter

Prepping for Winter

Canadians understand how important heat is in the winter. As we head into fall, there are a few things you need to do in the coming weeks to prepare for the winter months.

Whether you burn logs or gas, it can be dangerous to light a fireplace until certain things have been done or checked.

Here is a checklist that can provide assurance when the time comes to get cozy near a safe, blazing fire. Check your smoke and carbon monoxide detector and have a fire extinguisher close to the appliance. Clear the area around the fireplace of any potentially flammable materials – 3 feet away is a good rule.

Woodburning Fireplaces and Stoves

Experts recommend that fireplaces, wood stoves and chimneys be inspected annually. Clean chimneys help fireplaces and stoves run more efficiently and safely. Soot and creosote may adhere to the inside and can cause a fire because they are highly flammable.

  • A yearly chimney sweep ensures the whole system is in good working condition. Professionals will also check the condition of your flue lining. Even a small crack in the flue can cause a house fire.
  • Chimney structures are out of sight, but they should not be out of mind. When mortar is damaged or when bricks are loose or cracked, there is a good chance moisture has entered your chimney system. Moisture damage should be repaired as quickly as possible, to minimize the amount of damage done.
  • If there is not already a cap on your chimney, have one installed as soon as possible. Chimney toppers serve several important functions, particularly when they have wire mesh. Chimney caps keep moisture out, keep critters out, and help to prevent fires when they have a mesh spark guard that will extinguish embers that might otherwise fly from the chimney.
  • Stock up with the right fuel. Have your firewood stored, dried, and ready to burn. The type of firewood you burn determines the quality of your fire and how much flammable creosote is deposited in the chimney. Seasoned hardwoods burn longer than softwoods. If you don’t want a lingering fire, softwoods are the better choice because they don’t leave smoldering wood coals behind.

With some quick annual maintenance, you can maintain or even improve your stove’s efficiency this winter – you might even burn less wood.

Pellet Stoves

Experts also recommend pellet stoves have a yearly maintenance check that will include:

  • Cleaning the exhaust piping and venting
  • Removing the combustion and distribution fans, then vacuuming out all the ash and soot
  • Cleaning behind the inner firebox panels, top heat exchange panels, firewall panels and any ash traps
  • Double-checking the gasket on the firebox door
  • Cleaning the firepot and the hopper carefully, removing any ash, bits of pellet or pellet dust
Gas Fireplaces

There is nothing easier than a gas burning fireplace or insert. There’s no ash to clean up because it burns natural gas or liquid propane but don’t assume this means it doesn’t need cleaning. In fact, it is still recommended you have a certified gas technician inspect and clean your gas fireplace to ensure your safety. The technician will first inspect the exterior to ensure glass is not chipped, cracked, or dirty, and the framework is holding up sufficiently.

  • While checking for dents or debris, the technician will also look at the interior gas ignition under the log structure and make sure it is lighting flawlessly. They also make sure your log set is not deteriorating in any way.
  • The face of the unit will have to be taken off, so they can inspect the valves and connections underneath your fireplace or insert. They will make sure your fireplace’s heat output is correct, and clean up any residue that has started to block any ports or vents.
  • After a routine check, your technician should make sure you have working carbon monoxide detectors, and that you are aware of any repairs your gas fireplace may need.

Certified gas technicians have a wealth of information and will be happy to answer any questions you may have about your fireplace or insert. Don’t be afraid to ask.