Wood Burning Inserts

Why a Wood Burning Insert Is the Most Powerful Upgrade for Your Fireplace

Your open masonry fireplace is one of the least efficient heating systems ever designed. During operation, it sends 85-90% of the heat it generates straight up the chimney — while simultaneously pulling heated air from your home to feed combustion. The net effect is often negative: your house gets colder when you light a fire, not warmer. A wood burning insert reverses this equation entirely.

By enclosing the combustion chamber, controlling air intake, and employing advanced secondary or catalytic combustion, a modern EPA-certified insert captures 70-80% of the fuel’s thermal energy and delivers it into your living space. That’s not a marginal improvement — it’s a 5-8x increase in useful heat from the same fuel.

The Science of Secondary Combustion

When wood burns in an open fireplace, smoke rises through the chimney carrying unburned hydrocarbons — wasted fuel that represents both lost heat and air pollution. Modern inserts solve this in two ways:

• Non-catalytic inserts use a system of preheated secondary air tubes positioned above the fire. These jets of superheated air (1,100°F+) ignite the smoke itself, creating a dramatic secondary flame that extracts additional heat while reducing emissions by up to 90%.
• Catalytic inserts pass smoke through a coated ceramic honeycomb catalyst that lowers the ignition temperature of smoke particles. The catalyst burns smoke at temperatures as low as 500°F, enabling extremely clean, efficient combustion even at low burn rates.
• Hybrid inserts combine both technologies — using catalytic combustion during low-output overnight burns and non-catalytic secondary combustion during high-output daytime heating. This provides the best of both worlds.

Real-World Heating Performance

A properly sized wood burning insert is a legitimate whole-house heating solution — not just a room warmer. Performance specifics:

• Heat output: 40,000-80,000 BTUs depending on model size and wood species
• Heating capacity: 1,500-2,500+ square feet depending on home insulation, layout, and climate
• Burn time: 8-12 hours per load of seasoned hardwood — load before bed, wake to a warm house with live coals ready to reload
• Wood consumption: 3-5 cords per heating season vs. 6-10 cords for an open fireplace producing far less usable heat
• Operating cost: $500-$1,200 per season in wood (less if you have your own wood supply) vs. $1,500-$3,000+ in oil, propane, or electric heat

Choosing the Right Size

Wood inserts are sized by firebox volume (measured in cubic feet) and rated heating area (measured in square feet). Critical sizing factors include:

• Your firebox dimensions — the insert must physically fit your fireplace opening with proper clearances on all sides
• Your home’s heating area — oversized inserts waste fuel by forcing you to dampen the fire; undersized inserts can’t deliver adequate heat
• Your home’s insulation — a well-insulated home needs fewer BTUs per square foot than a drafty older home
• Your climate zone — Northeast and Midwest winters demand more heating capacity than milder climates
• Primary vs. supplemental use — whole-house heating requires a larger insert than zone heating

Our technicians measure your fireplace precisely and assess your heating needs before recommending a specific insert size and model.

Chimney Liner: The Critical Component

Every wood burning insert installation requires a new stainless steel chimney liner. This is non-negotiable for both safety and performance:

• Safety: The liner creates a sealed pathway from the insert to the chimney top, preventing combustion gases (including carbon monoxide) from escaping through cracks or gaps in your existing clay tile flue
• Draft performance: The insert’s smaller combustion chamber produces less flue gas volume than an open fireplace. Your existing oversized flue can’t maintain adequate draft for the insert — causing poor combustion, excessive creosote, and potential smoke spillage
• Code compliance: Building codes require a properly sized liner connecting the insert to the chimney top. An insert operated without a liner violates code and creates serious safety hazards

We use UL Listed stainless steel liners with insulation wrap, sized to the insert manufacturer’s specifications. Liner installation is included in every insert price we quote.

Brands We Carry and Why

• Regency — Built in North America with heavy-gauge steel and cast iron construction. Regency inserts are workhorses — designed for homeowners who burn wood as a primary heat source and need an insert that performs reliably season after season
• Osburn — Canadian-engineered with precision air management and large panoramic glass doors. Osburn’s secondary combustion system produces exceptionally clean burns with excellent flame viewing
• Pacific Energy — Known for their non-catalytic technology that achieves catalytic-level efficiency without the maintenance of a catalyst. Their inserts are simple to operate and virtually maintenance-free
• Quadra-Fire — The patented four-point combustion system creates the most complete burn cycle in the industry. Quadra-Fire inserts extract maximum energy from every piece of wood
• Lopi — American-built in Mukilteo, Washington. Their hybrid catalytic inserts combine catalytic and non-catalytic combustion for maximum efficiency across all burn rates

What Professional Installation Includes

• Precise measurement of your existing firebox opening, depth, and hearth dimensions
• Chimney inspection to verify suitability for liner installation
• UL Listed stainless steel liner installation with insulation wrap
• Insert fitting with proper clearances and surround panel installation
• Hearth extension verification or installation per code requirements
• Complete operational test with draft verification
• Homeowner training — fire building technique, air control operation, maintenance schedule
• Manufacturer warranty registration

Wood Fuel Best Practices

Your insert’s performance depends heavily on fuel quality. We recommend:

• Seasoned hardwood — split and air-dried for 6-12 months to reach 15-20% moisture content
• Preferred species: oak, maple, ash, hickory, and cherry provide the highest BTU output per cord
• Avoid: green (unseasoned) wood, treated lumber, painted wood, and softwoods like pine for regular use
• Storage: stack off the ground, covered on top but open on sides for air circulation
• Moisture meter: a $20 investment that ensures you’re burning properly seasoned wood every time

Maintenance Requirements

Wood burning inserts require annual professional chimney sweeping to remove creosote from the liner and flue system. Catalytic inserts require catalyst inspection and eventual replacement (typically every 5-8 years). Glass cleaning, gasket inspection, and firebox ash removal are homeowner tasks that take minutes. Annual professional service ensures your insert operates safely, efficiently, and in warranty compliance.