Chimney Care Company's Blog

Update Your Fireplace or Stove This Summer

Fireplace Upgrades During Summer - Cincinnati OH - Chimney Care CompanyA great fireplace, stove or insert not only adds value and warmth to your home, it’s a natural focal point for entertaining purposes. If you’re having a hard time picturing your guests sipping cocktails around your current hearth, it may be time for an updated unit. Lucky for you, summer is the perfect time to update your fireplace, stove or insert with the help of the professionals at The Chimney Care Company. We would love the opportunity to help you transform your outdated hearth into a stunning piece of art and/or a conversation piece for guests once again.

A LITTLE GENERAL BACKGROUND INFORMATION

Half of all American homes (approximately 55 million) have at least one fireplace or freestanding stove, according to the Hearth, Patio & Barbecue Association. Fireplaces rank among the top three features desired by new homebuyers, after outdoor porches and upgraded kitchens. Fifty-nine percent of those homeowners consider the fireplace to be a major design feature of their home, and 73 percent of wood-burning fireplace owners say they use them to enhance the home’s atmosphere. An outdated hearth, however, can detract from the overall appeal of your home.

WE CARRY A VARIETY OF BEAUTIFUL STOVES AND FIREPLACES FOR EVERY TASTE AND SPACE!

After a brutally cold winter, many of us here in Ohio are just glad it’s starting to warm up (although we have to admit there are some people who would be satisfied living on the frozen tundra year round). Regardless of which category you fall into, we’ve got a home heating appliance for you! If you’re one who’s fond of saving money whenever possible, our showroom specials were tailor-made for you. We have an assortment of fireplaces, inserts and stoves and are sure to have something to your liking!

If pellet stoves or inserts are your thing, we’ve got something for you. If you’d prefer a wood-burning stove, insert or fireplace, we’ve got you covered, too. If gas stoves, inserts or fireplaces are more to your liking, we’ve got just the thing for you as well. You honestly can’t go wrong by making a trip to our showroom to get up close and personal with all of our great fireplaces and stoves. We carry a wide variety of quality appliances, and in our 20+ years in business, we’ve kept a focus on finding and recommending only the industry’s most reliable and beautiful products. There’s sure to be something that’s right up your alley!

As you can see, your tired fireplace can easily be taken from drab to fab in a relatively short amount of time (depending on the overall scope of your particular project). If you’re considering having a new appliance installed, The Chimney Care Company can help you from start to finish. We’ll advise you on types of units that will meet your needs and suit your space and the fuel that will best suit your lifestyle and preferences. Contact our team today to and let our experts help you find a great value. You won’t be disappointed in our expert workmanship, professional service or your new fireplace or stove, as all will bring you years of enjoyment!

The Convenience and Savings of a Pellet Stove

The Convenience of a Pellet Stove - Cincinnati OH - Chimney Care CompanyYou may have heard a lot lately about pellet stoves as they have become a top choice in heating systems for homes over the past few years. The first pellet stove came on the market in 1930, and since then pellet stoves have gone through many changes, going from a large, boxy, workhorse design to a smaller decorative heating appliance to be used in residential homes. Since the heating industry has moved towards heating systems based on efficient combustible and renewable resources in the past 10 years, pellet stoves have seen a great resurgence, and The Chimney Care Company has been asked many questions about these stoves. We’re here to provide you with some of the more commonly asked questions we receive and the answers we’ve supplied.

WHAT IS A PELET STOVE? WHAT ARE PELLETS?

Convenient, cost-effective, and environmentally friendly, a pellet stove is a sophisticated electronic appliance that gives you an economic and eco-friendly heating option for your house. Pellet stoves are fueled by wood pellets, which are made from recycled sawdust, wood shavings, and the other scrap pieces that have been swept up off the floors of sawmills. Cheap and easy to manufacture, wood pellets are compact, resembling rabbit food, and environmentally friendly because they have a very low pollution rate.

HOW MANY TYPES OF PELLET STOVE ARE AVAILABLE?

There are two different types: freestanding and insert stoves. You can get an insert if you have an existing fireplace, and one of our expert technicians at The Chimney Care Company will install it into the firebox and vent it through your chimney. If you do not have a fireplace, you can go with a freestanding stove with its own exhaust pipe.

ARE DIFFERENT STYLES AND OPTIONS AVAILABLE?

Available in all sorts of sizes, shapes, styles and colors, you are sure to find the perfect pellet stove for your home, no matter your taste. As for options, you can go with the standard model or with the super deluxe version with a programmable, controlled feeder and a remote control thermostat. Our staff at The Chimney Care Company would love to show you our wide variety of pellet stoves available. Other options include the hopper location, heat output levels, and manual or automatic ignition.

WHAT ARE THE ADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGES OF HAVING A PELLET STOVE?

The advantages and benefits of a pellet stove far outweigh the disadvantages of an open wood burning fireplace. Pellet stoves are easy to operate, convenient, environmentally friendly, and safer, as they give off less smoke and creosote. They give off far greater efficiency of heat allowing you to use your centralized heating unit less to heat your home. This lowers your heating bills and reduces harmful emissions. In addition, the fuel—the pellets—are inexpensive and easy to store and usually made from recycled materials, such as unused sawdust.

One disadvantage of a pellet stove is that it runs on electricity, so you will need to prepare for alternative heating sources in case of a power outage. Another disadvantage is that you might need to buy your fuel in advance for the season and keep it in a safe dry place as pellet fuel is not available everywhere. Pellet stoves and heating systems are becoming more popular and pellet fuel is becoming more available in more places everyday.

We hope you’ve found this information to be beneficial in your decision making process. If you have other pellet stove related questions, please don’t hesitate to come by the showroom and discuss your heating options with the professionals at The Chimney Care Company today. Our knowledgeable staff will be more than happy to answer your questions!

Better Heating Efficiency with a Fireplace Insert

Wood Insert - Fireplace Xtrodinair - Milford CT - The Cozy FlameNot all fireplaces are created equal. Depending on the age of your home and/or the overall condition of your fireplace and all of its parts, you could be sending some serious money right up the chimney during the heating season; it’s estimated that a typical homeowner can send up to 8% of valuable heated air flying straight out the chimney. If reading this statistic has you even the slightest bit scared about using your fireplace as a heating source when the weather turns cold, don’t write it off just yet. The good news is you can transform your fireplace into an efficient room heater simply by adding a fireplace insert.

WHAT CAN A FIREPLACE INSERT DO FOR ME?

An insert is the answer to making your old fireplace more efficient without having to replace it, and, most of the time, they can be retrofitted to your existing wood-burning fireplace seamlessly. Adding an insert will only slightly (in most cases) change the overall look of your fireplace; however, it can take it from a net energy loser to a helpful tool in keeping those skyrocketing heating costs at bay during the winter months.

CAN I AFFORD A FIREPLACE INSERT?

You’re probably sitting there wondering how much an insert is going to set you back. To be completely honest, they are far from cheap. Nevertheless, they are affordable. Inserts can run anywhere from $2,000 to $4,000 depending on the time of year and your geographic location. This is an all-inclusive price, which includes installation and a new specialized chimney liner.

ARE THERE DIFFERENT TYPES OF FIREPLACE INSERTS?

If you’re considering a fireplace insert, there are a few options available to you. Choosing the type of heater that best meets the needs of your particular application is as simple as deciding what’s most important to you—burning real wood and having heat even if the power goes out (choose a wood-burning insert), burning a bio-fuel without the hassle of wood in an attempt to minimize your carbon footprint (choose a pellet insert), or flipping on fast heat in a particular portion of the home (choose a gas insert).

Because fuel prices are in a constant state of flux, any savings measurements are really just a moving target. Generally speaking, a homeowner who opts to have an insert installed is looking at an annual savings of anywhere from $75-$250 dollars. While this may not sound like a tremendous amount of savings considering the upfront costs of the insert itself, the savings over the long haul can and will really add up over the lifespan of the insert. Your home is an investment, and, as such, any decision you make needs to include at least a small measure of foresight. We carry a wide variety of quality appliances, and in our 20+ years in business, we’ve kept a focus on finding and recommending only the industry’s most reliable and beautiful products. Whether you prefer the convenience of researching products online or getting up close and personal to compare products, the professionals at The Chimney Care Company have you covered. Give us a call today at (513) 248-9600 or stop in and visit our showroom to see all we have to offer.

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Chimney Care Company | 413 Wards Corner Road, Loveland, Ohio 45140