Winter weather has arrived, and no matter where you are, you have probably switched your thermostat from “cool” to “heat” by now. You might be feeling it on the bottom line—your electricity bill! For homeowners interested in saving a little money during the cold season, a wood stove insert is a great idea for keeping the high-traffic areas warm while keeping the thermostat low. This is called zone heating and it’s perfect for any home that has space for a wood stove insert.
Burning Wood
Wood is a popular fire option among homeowners who have ready access to a firewood supply. If you don’t have trees on your own property, you can likely find a local supplier and still benefit from wood heat. It’s so popular because it is effective. Wood burns hot, it is a renewable fuel resource, and it offers the crackling, beautiful flame that homeowners love—especially this time of year. During the holidays, you want the ambiance of a wood fire for your holiday festivities. You want the beauty of a wood fire for your family photo backdrop. We can help.
Wood Stove Inserts
An insert is a closed unit that is retrofitted directly into an existing fireplace. They are ideal for homes that have a firebox that is in disrepair or to simply improve the efficiency of an open masonry fireplace. Many traditional open fireplaces can lose up to 70 percent of the produced heat because the system doesn’t use the heat efficiently. Additionally, open masonry fireplaces sometimes allow drafts year-round, allowing heated air out of the flue in winter, and letting cool air escape in summer.
A wood insert uses all the heat it makes because it is a closed unit. It looks like a fireplace, but works like a stove, drawing air from the home and using it for the fire, then pushing heated air back into the home while venting all the smoke, toxic gases, and particles up the flue. Because the insert is retrofitted directly into the existing firebox, it is slightly smaller than the firebox, has a small capacity, and will need a smaller flue for venting. This type of installation will require a certified professional who can properly measure and order the correct appliance. If ordered online and measured improperly, the unit can become a serious fire hazard. It’s important that anytime you decide to convert to a wood-burning insert, you first contact a professional who has the expertise and experience required to get the job done right. Our team at Trinity Chimney Service is made up of CSIA certified professionals who can keep your system update safe and beautiful from start to finish. Once your new wood stove insert is installed, you can trust us with all the ongoing maintenance that keeps your system working. We offer chimney sweeps and inspections for wood-burning systems as well as many others.
Oil Furnaces
Residents of Howard, Carroll, and Baltimore Counties may have an oil furnace, a common furnace in colder climates such as the northeast. Oil furnaces (or burners) are thought to be safer than gas furnaces, leaking no carbon monoxide and less risk of explosion. In regions where oil furnaces are common, they are a popular choice. However, oil furnaces can run more expensive for purchase and installation and they also require more maintenance, similar to the frequency of automobile oil changes. For this reason, we offer oil furnace inspections and cleanings, always stressing to our customers the importance of routine maintenance.
Maryland’s Choice for Oil Furnace Inspections
Your oil furnace, like wood-burning appliances, will produce soot and other corrosive chemical byproducts. They are vented through the flue and can settle on the walls of the flue. These materials can build-up over time and can even block the flue, causing a drop in efficiency and a dangerous fire hazard. In order to ensure your oil furnace is safe for use and your flue is free of hazards and obstructions, you must schedule an inspection. Many furnace and flue problems can occur slowly over time, only becoming apparent to the homeowner when serious damage has already occurred behind the scenes. When you schedule an inspection with a certified professional, your technician will know exactly where to look for common problems and exactly how to fix them. We don’t just repair the damage, but we stop the problem at its source. We reline flues, repair chimneys and fireplaces, and more.
If you reside in Maryland and have a fireplace or furnace, we can service it. If you have a furnace or fireplace that burns wood, pellets, gas, or oil, we can service it. If you have had your system inspected every single year or have never had it inspected once, we can help. No matter how well-maintained it has been, how new it is, how worn out, or how damaged, we can help.
Our team at Trinity Chimney Service is experienced and ready to handle your conversion, repair, sweeping, or inspection. Before you light your fireplace or furnace, make sure it’s ready. Call Trinity at 443-264-4881 or request an appointment online.