Chimney Care Company's Blog
What Kind of Fireplace is Best for You?
Do you make up your mind right away when making a purchase or do you need time to research, taking days to find just the right product? If you’re like most people, it probably depends on what 
you’re buying. For most people, though, the larger the item, the more time you’ll take to make sure that you find the product that’s right for you. If you’re in the market for a new fireplace or are looking to upgrade your existing fireplace, come to Chimney Care Co. Our highly trained, knowledgeable staff will be able to advise you on exactly what type of fireplace will best suit your needs, whether that’s a gas-burning appliance, wood-burning, or a pellet burning device.
Wood Burning Appliance
A wood-burning fireplace has several advantages, and one of the big advantages is that it burns a natural substance that you can easily find. There’s something therapeutic about going out and cutting your own wood, stacking it so that it cures properly, and having a good supply available all winter long. Laying the wood just so, getting that fire started, and then keeping it going can also help you relax after a long day of work. The ambiance is a definite benefit of a wood-burning fireplace.
Gas Burning Appliance
If you love to relax in front of a fire but find the work that goes into it almost too much for what you gain, then you might want to think about installing gas logs. The biggest advantage of gas logs is the convenience they offer. All it takes is a flip of a switch and you’ll have a beautiful, natural-looking fire burning. With today’s modern units, you can even hook your gas appliance up to a remote and not even have to leave the comfort of your favorite chair to get a fire burning! If it gets too warm or if you’re just ready to turn in, turn your gas logs off and skedaddle off to bed. No cleanup, no waiting, just turn it off and forget it.
Pellet Burning Appliance
A third option to consider is a pellet burning appliance. A pellet burner burns compressed sawdust pellets, which are natural and good for the environment. This is an easy way to enjoy a fire, because the sawdust pellets are stored in a hopper and then augered into the burner, where they burn like wood. No hauling in wood or laying it precisely so that you can get a fire going. This option offers convenience and a natural burning fire.
Call Us Today
No matter which type of fireplace you choose, the place to go for quality advice and service is Chimney Care Co. Our professionals are Chimney Safety Institute of America (CSIA) certified and educated in all the latest techniques and regulations of installing the different types of heating appliances. We take great pride in our community and want every home to have the best service and the highest level of workmanship available. Give us a call today!
Check out our showroom specials!
Longing to upgrade your hearth or add a heating stove or fireplace to supplement the heat and increase the ambiance in your home? Do you feel like a new hearth appliance just might not be in your budget right now? The Chimney Care Co. can help! We’re dedicated to meeting our customers’ hearth needs, regardless of their budgets. That’s why we offer showroom specials — dramatically discounted hearth appliances that can help you get the right fireplace, heating stove or fireplace insert for the right price!
About our showroom specials
You won’t find better discounts than Chimney Care Co. showroom specials. These quality hearth appliances are discounted by as much as 50 percent of the retail cost! You will find plenty of items at these great prices; the showroom specials section at the Chimney Care Co. is full of high-quality hearth products in great shape with plenty of life ahead of them. The Chimney Care Co.’s showroom specials are top-of-the-line products. They include discontinued models and former display models.
Showroom special products
You never know what you’ll find in our showrooms specials sections, but you’re sure to find great products at a great price! Some of the items that have been included as showroom specials in the past include:
• The Hearthstone Tuscon direct vent stove,
• The Lopi Sturbridge direct vent stove,
• The Hearthstone Bennington wood stove, and
• Much, much more!
Finding the right showroom for you
If you’re searching for a fireplace, fireplace insert or heating stove at a great price but don’t know how to start your search, the Chimney Care Co. can help! When you come in to check out our showroom specials, you will get all of the benefits of doing business with the Chimney Care Co. Our fireplace specialists can listen to your home-heating needs and help steer you toward the right hearth appliance for you. On top of our showroom specials, the Chimney Care Co. has plenty of deals and specials. With the guidance of our staff, you are sure to find the fireplace or heating stove to fit your needs and your budget.
Once you find the right hearth appliance for your home, you will benefit from the Chimney Care Co.’s excellent service! Our certified technicians can install your new fireplace, fireplace insert or heating stove the right way. When it’s time for annual cleaning or service, we can help there, too! With showroom specials from the Chimney Care Co., combined with our fantastic service, you will be enjoying that new hearth appliance you didn’t think you could afford this winter. Stop by the Chimney Care Co. today — see what great appliances and great prices are waiting for your as part of our showroom specials!
The benefits of pellet stoves
If you’re looking for a better way to heat your home — whether you’re looking to replace an existing fireplace or stove or looking to supplement your furnace with a more efficient heating option — you should consider a pellet stove. Pellet stoves burn dehydrated wood pellets, or sometimes other bio-fuels like corn or cherry pits. A lot of people choose a pellet stove because of its ease of use and because they are very environmentally friendly. Here are some other benefits of pellet stoves.
They provide convenient and consistent heat
Pellet stoves burn wood, so they have the warm glow and ambiance of a traditional wood-burning fireplace, but they’re easier to use. The wood pellets are often sold in 40-pound bags, which are simple to store and can be purchased as needed.
The pellets are placed in a hopper fitted with an automatic auger. The auger feeds additional pellets as needed. Depending on the size of the hopper, pellet stoves can usually burn up to 24 hours without being refueled or tended. Many stoves also come with automatic ignitions. Some stoves can be programmed to help control the heat output in your home.
They burn hotter than wood and are environmentally friendly
Because pellets are made from dehydrated wood particles, they burn hotter and are more efficiently than traditional firewood. Pellet stoves are highly efficient, with some models boasting efficiencies as high as 90 percent.
Pellet stoves are a favorite heating choice of environmentalists. Because they burn so hot, they release fewer pollutants than other heating sources. The wood pellets are often made from wood byproducts, which helps to reduce waste. Wood is also considered a “carbon neutral” fuel by environmentalists. They release equal amount of carbon into the atmosphere as when trees would die and decompose naturally.
They are super versatile
The options for pellet stoves are endless. There are ornamental ones that add style to your home, or you can find more utilitarian models that can fit in a utility space to pipe heat into your home. We also have pellet stove inserts that can fit into an existing fireplace space, or we can built into a custom hearth to mimic the look of a traditional wood-burning fireplace. Pellet stoves come in a variety of sizes to fit any home, and they can provide heat for any space.
If you think a pellet stove is a good option for you, call the Chimney Care Fireplace and Stove showroom. Our experts can answer all your questions about it. They can show you some options to help you find the best pellet stove that fits your heating needs.
Firebrick patterns for your interior fireplace
If you are looking to give your hearth a stunning makeover, one of the best ways to add style is by reconstructing your firebricks. The firebricks are the masonry component of your inner fireplace. Made from refractory cement, they insulate your fireplace. This holds in the heat from the fire so it can warm your home. This also prevents excessive heat from penetrating the part of your home’s structure that surrounds the fireplace.
While firebricks are an often overlooked component of the fireplace — unless they break down and pose a hazard — the firebricks can add a beautiful aesthetic appeal to your hearth. Altering your firebrick pattern can change the entire feel of your fireplace, providing a clean, modern look or a sophisticated design element. The trick is to choose a firebrick pattern that fits with the hearth style you’re looking to achieve.
Running bond
The running bond is a traditional masonry pattern and you’d likely recognize it immediately. The running bond pattern is achieved by offsetting each layer of firebricks by half of a brick. While this pattern is firmly traditional, you can still use a running bond to vary the look of your interior firebox by selecting bricks that are a different size or color than your current firebox.
Stacked bond
The stacked bond is seeing a surge in popularity right now. Also, it is prized for its clean, modern look. In creating a stack bond, the firebricks are placed directly on top of one another, so the seams fall in straight lines.
Herringbone
Herringbone has become a major trend in home décor, from tile floors and tile showers to brickwork and fireplaces. In masonry, the herringbone pattern mocks the traditional herringbone weave. To achieve that look, two rows of bricks are laid toward one another at a 45-degree angle, creating W-like-patterns in the bricks.
Split herringbone
For those who love the herringbone pattern but want something different, the split herringbone offers a fun alternative. With the split herringbone pattern, the firebricks are laid in the same manner. However, the bricks themselves are “split” to a much smaller size. The result is a more delicate, intricate-looking pattern.
Basket weave
Like the stacked bond, the basket weave is a traditional masonry pattern. It’s most often used when homeowners are looking to achieve a more rustic look in their fireplaces. To achieve the basket weave pattern, two to three bricks are placed horizontally. Then, two to three bricks above are placed vertically. The alternating pattern repeats in all directions of the design.
If you are ready to liven up the look of your hearth with new firebricks, or if your existing firebricks need to be replaced for safety purposes, call the Chimney Care Co.! Our expert masons can reline your fireplace with a beautiful firebrick pattern that turns your hearth into an eye-catching focal feature you will love to show off.
Give The Gift That Keeps on Giving: A Fireplace Facelift!
Fireplaces are the heart of a home.
They provide a focal point for the home’s living space, and they serve as a place for friends and family to gather around. A fireplace that’s outdated or in disrepair, however, can leave a homeowner frustrated and embarrassed, and the fireplace itself can sit unused. That’s why a fireplace facelift provides the perfect gift! It can update the look of a home, render a fireplace once again use-able and lower heating bills. A fireplace facelift can even increase the value of a home! When you give a fireplace facelift for a holiday gift, you have a variety of options for updating the look of the fireplace to suit the gift recipient’s needs and your budget.Some common fireplace upgrades include:
- Fireplace repairs. Often, the problem with the fireplace is that the fireplace is showing its age. The firebox tiles crack. The hearth becomes stained. The metal grates corrode. How can you give someone a fireplace facelift? Hiring skilled fireplace technicians to fix their fireplace’s simple cosmetic problems! This provides a restored, beautiful fireplace that is once again a pleasure to look at and that is safe for lighting a fire.
- Fireplace accessories. Fireplace accessories can dress up the hearth and provide and instant fireplace facelift. Andirons, a quality set of fireplace tools, or a well-crafted fireplace screen are all great gift options. This is especially true when you’re looking to dress up someone’s fireplace.
- Fireplace façade. Perhaps nothing reveals a fireplace’s age like the façade. Fireplace trends come and go, and a façade that was trendy 10 years ago can age a home. Fortunately, there are many ways to give the fireplace a facelift. That includes adding tile or veneers over outdates surfaces, changing out fireplace doors, or replacing a passé mantle. Sometimes the right coat of paint or finishing treatment can make a hearth look like new.
- Fireplace insert. One of the most dramatic fireplace facelifts you can gift someone is a fireplace insert. A fireplace insert can instantly change the look of the hearth. In addition, it can upgrade fireplace efficiency and lower home heating bills. An insert also can make a fireplace more use-able.