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August 17, 2009
One of the best ways to extend your enjoyment of your backyard into the evening hours is to relax in front of an outdoor fire. And these days, there are so many options available – from constructing a full fireplace and chimney, to purchasing a metal fire bowl or chimenea – that you can find something to fit just about any budget and style.
There are three main categories to choose from if you are considering an outdoor fireplace for your backyard:
- Fireplace: Basically, there is not much difference between the designs of indoor and outdoor fireplaces. And just like indoors, you have a choice of either wood or natural gas for fuel. The main difference is that outdoor fireplaces use a chimney in place of a damper. Outdoor fireplaces keep flames contained within a limited area, allowing you the maximum benefit of heat, with little risk of creating an uncontrollable fire in a fire pit or chimenea.
- Fire Pit: Fire pits are available in a wide range of styles and materials. Most fire pits are round and come in one of two varieties. The first variety is made of brick or cement and is fully integrated into your patio. If you do not have a patio, or don’t wish to redesign your patio for a brick or cement pit, then a portable fire pit made of copper, aluminum or steel might be the option for you. These models come in various sizes. Some have wheels and can be easily rolled to an appropriate place before igniting the flame. Most are no more than three feet across and three feet tall. Some have mesh screens to diminish the amount of sparks that fly out from a stack of burning logs.
- Chimenea: Chimeneas are generally made of clay and can be purchased for anywhere between $100 and $400. With clay chimeneas, it is important to insulate the inside bottom with either sand or volcanic rock, or keep fires within the small to medium range. Otherwise, the heat can get too intense, causing the clay to crack. This not only ruins the chimenea, but creates a fire hazard as well. Chimeneas require yearly coats of acrylic wax or water sealer to protect against moisture penetration. Also available are fire retardant vinyl covers to protect against moisture and for winter storage. The main thing is to keep water from entering the chimney when not in use.
Regardless of which type of outdoor fireplace you choose for your home, just remember – never build a fire so large that it can’t be contained safely, never leave it unattended and make sure that you douse your fire when through. And when deciding where to put your outdoor fireplace, make sure to locate it away from roof overhangs, hanging branches and anything flammable. Always keep fire pits and chimeneas on top of brick, concrete or block as the intense heat of these burners will scorch patio wood and lawn grass.
With appropriate safety precautions, you can enjoy the beauty and convenience of a fire in your backyard throughout the year. Mmmm …. S’mores, anyone?
August 14, 2009
If you are thinking of changing the way you heat your home, now is the time to consider a pellet stove or pellet insert. Pellet stoves and inserts use pellets as the fuel source. Pellets are a condensed, low-moisture fuel made of wood byproducts, corn, grass, or even nuts. The pellets resemble rabbit food.
Pellet stoves and inserts have many advantages over a traditional wood fire, wood-burning insert, gas logs, or electrical inserts. They are environmentally-friendly, burn a low cost fuel, and make heating your home more economical. But despite these advantages, many people shy away from pellet stoves because they are new and unfamiliar. If you are interested in pellet heat, read on to learn about the advantages and disadvantages, and to determine if a pellet stove or insert is right for your home.
There are a number of advantages to using pellet stoves or inserts to heat your home:
- Because they are fueled by renewable, biomass materials (such as wood byproducts, saw dust, paper-packaging waste, and corn), pellet stoves are environmentally friendly.
- Pellet burning stoves are well-insulated, and the exterior remains fairly cool to the touch. This makes them a good choice for homes with small children or pets.
- Due to the low price of pellets, pellet stoves and inserts are a more affordable way to heat your home. A bag of pellets costs $2.00 – $4.00 for a 40 pound bag, depending on where you live in the country and local availability. A 30 pound bag of pellets will last, on average, one to two days. This means that you can heat an area of your home for around $60.00 a month.
- Pellet fuel is easy to come by. Even if you live where there are no local pellet dealers, you can have it shipped directly to your home. And once you purchase them, bags of pellets are generally easier to store than wood bundles.
While there are many advantages to using pellet stoves or inserts to heat your home, there are also a number of potential disadvantages you should take into consideration when making your decision. These include:
- A quality pellet stove insert will cost between $1500 and $3000. While the unit could easily pay for itself over one winter, the upfront expense may eliminate this as an option for some.
- The stove inserts are not approved by H.U.D. for use in manufactured housing.
- Maintenance is important. You’ve got to keep the insert clean and remove ash buildup regularly, and a professional chimney sweep should clean the chimney yearly for safety.
If you are reevaluating how you heat your home, its worth the time and effort to learn more about pellet stoves and inserts so that you can make an informed decision when making your selection.
August 9, 2009
One of the questions we get most often in our stores concerns the difference between traditional wood fireplaces and gas models. The decision about which type of fireplace to use depends upon whether your fireplace will serve a purely decorative or atmospheric purpose, or if you plan to use it to heat your home.
- Traditional wood fireplaces are found in lots of homes throughout the country. They use firewood as their source of fuel and provide a wonderful, warm atmosphere when a fire is lit.
- Gas fireplaces use natural gas (or in some cases, liquid propane) as their fuel source. Today’s gas fireplaces create flames that do a great job of mimicking a real wood fire, and in many cases, it can be hard to tell the difference between the two.
So other than differences in fuel, how do you choose between a traditional, wood fireplace and a gas model? There are a number of considerations:
- There is no doubt that wood fireplaces create a beautiful ambience, but they can be a lot of work. Firewood has to be delivered to your home (or you have to chop wood yourself), stacked, and then hauled indoors as needed. With a gas fireplace, you simply connect your fireplace to the utility lines, and there is no stacking or hauling needed.
- Bulk firewood can be expensive, but prices remain fairly stable from year to year. Gas prices can fluctuate significantly depending upon the market.
- Whereas wood burning fireplaces require substantial maintenance (regular cleaning to reduce the buildup of creosote is a must), gas fireplaces are generally cleaner and require less work.
- Convenience can be a major factor in choosing the kind of fireplace to buy. With a wood burning fireplace, you need to haul the firewood in, stack it correctly in the fireplace, and use kindling and matches to light the fire. When you no longer need the fire, a traditional wood fire must burn itself out and leaves behind ashes that must be cleaned out of the fireplace. A gas fireplace can be lit with the press of a remote control button, and there is virtually no cleanup.
Today’s gas fireplaces benefit from numerous technological advances. The artificial logs now look incredibly real, flame colors have been engineered to closely replicate a wood fire, and tools such as thermostats, blowers, and remote controls make them incredibly efficient and effective sources of heat for the home. With all of these advantages, as well as the elimination of most of the maintenance and cleaning associated with traditional fireplaces, it seems like the choice of a gas fireplace should be an easy one!
August 6, 2009
When most people think of renewable energy, they think of solar power, wind energy, geothermal energy, etc. But did you know that wood and pellet stoves are considered to be sources of renewable energy as well? Think about it – both wood and pellets are organic material made from plants. This is the very definition of “biomass,” and energy derived from biomass is referred to as “bioenergy.”
According to the U.S. Department of Energy, biomass is an attractive petroleum alternative because it is a renewable resource that is more evenly distributed over the Earth’s surface than finite energy sources, and may be exploited using more environmentally friendly technologies. Bioenergy is considered truly renewable because its source – biomass – is a replenishable resource. Wood and plants (the source for pellets) will continue to grow as long as they are planted. Additionally, biomass energy recycles carbon dioxide during the plant photosynthesis process and uses it to make its own food. In comparison to fossil fuels such as natural gas and coal, which take millions of years to be produced, biomass is easy to grow, collect, utilize and replace quickly without depleting natural resources.
If you are thinking of replacing or supplementing your current electric, gas, or oil home heating system, consider a new wood or pellet stove. This one simple change will save you money at the same time that it helps save the environment!
August 3, 2009
A wood stove or fireplace adds warmth and ambiance to your home, but can also present safety challenges if not selected and installed properly. An old or poorly installed wood stove can result in higher maintenance costs, greater risk of smoke in your home, and more environmental pollution. It could even cause a house fire.
Properly installed EPA-certified wood stove and fireplace inserts offer many benefits. They burn wood efficiently and more safely, and heat your home effectively with much less smoke. With EPA-certified wood stoves and fireplace inserts, you should see only a thin wisp of steam coming from your chimney.
An EPA-certified wood stove or wood heating appliance has been independently tested by an accredited laboratory to meet a particulate emissions limit. All wood heating appliances offered for sale in the United States are required to meet these emission limits. An EPA-certified wood stove can be identified by a permanent metal label affixed to the back or side of the wood stove.
Here at Fireplace Village, we carry a wide selection of wood stove and fireplace inserts. Some of our favorite brands include Vermont Castings, Jotul, and Hearthstone.
Many state and local air agencies are working to reduce wood stove emissions through wood stove changeout campaigns, incentives or tax credits, or in some cases, ordinances and regulations. To learn more, see the EPA website at http://www.epa.gov/woodstoves/whereyoulive.html.
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