A new pellet-burning fireplace insert is a great choice whether you want to upgrade an old, inefficient masonry fireplace or simply like the idea of using a powerful, renewable energy source to bring heat to your home.
Fireplace inserts are built in a factory and run on a closed-combustion system that produces significantly higher energy efficiency than traditional fireplaces. Pellets are an easy and convenient fuel source that are better than wood logs for getting the most heat possible out of your fuel. Let’s look closely at pellet inserts and their advantages.
What are pellets?
Pellets are small particles of compressed matter – often sawdust or agricultural waste – that burn long and strong in a fireplace insert. All pellet varieties are made with natural substances that aren’t good for much else, so in using pellets, you’re giving these waste products one more round in the lifecycle.
How do inserts work?
Think of an insert as a fireplace in a box with a metal chimney liner. Inserts come in a variety of sizes, allowing them to fit snugly into existing fireboxes. An insert works in many ways just like a wood-log fireplace – you add your fuel, start your fire and sit back and enjoy it. While homeowners can install inserts themselves, it’s recommended that a professional do the job.
With a pellet insert, pellets are added to an attached hopper, which gradually adds them to the fire, as necessary. You don’t have to manually put them into the flames.
What are the advantages of pellet inserts?
- A new pellet insert can heat areas from 1,000 to 2,500 square feet. Certain styles have thermostatic control.
- A pellet fireplace insert will heat with about 78% to 85% efficiency, compared to about 77% for top-of-the-line wood-burning inserts.
Pellets create less creosote than wood logs. Creosote is a flammable substance produced when smoke condenses in a chimney. The more creosote, the more chance for a chimney fire.- A single hopper full of pellets can keep a fire burning for as long as several days, meaning much less involvement than with a traditional wood fireplace.
- The housing of a pellet insert stays cooler than that of a log-burning insert, a great safety feature for children and pets.
- You can purchase battery packs for your pellet insert that will ensure continued operation during a power outage.
- In addition to sawdust and agricultural waste, some pellet varieties are made with other biomass fuels including shells from nuts, corn and even cherry pits, giving these naturally occurring substances additional life and use.
If you’d like to learn more about pellet fireplace inserts and the advantages they bring to most any home, FyrePro of Fort Collins, CO, is here to help. Visit our showroom at 4631 S. Mason St., and check out some of the newest, high-efficiency pellet inserts. Our experienced staff can help you choose the best size and model for your particular needs. If you have questions, we’re always here at (970) 266-8556.