Fireplaces have long been used in homes to provide much-needed heating during the cold winter season. For generations, families have been huddled near the fireplace to enjoy its comforting warmth and relaxing ambience. 

When building and searching for a new home, buyers consider fireplaces a factor when selecting a home. The fireplace adds an extra class and vitality to a home. Owning a fireplace has so many benefits. 

This page will help others learn important information about fireplaces and how it takes to own one. It will also discuss the different types of fireplaces to help people choose the best for them. 

What is the fireplace?

 A fireplace is usually a stone, brick, or metal structure designed to contain a fire for heating the home or cooking. Fire is generally included in the fireplace’s firebox, and then the exhaust comes out of the Chimney or exhaust pipes attached to the roof. 

Traditional brick or stone fireplaces have been used for generations, but other types of fireplaces have emerged in the past decades. 

Types of Fireplaces

Wood-Burning Fireplaces

Wood-burning fireplaces are traditionally made of bricks or stones. There are many options to choose from: open-hearth fireplaces are used for generations and are considered very romantic. When people think of fireplaces, it’s the wood-burning fireplace that always comes to mind. But they are less efficient since a lot of the heat comes out to the open Chimney.

A new and more efficient wood-burning fireplace is the enclosed fireplaces. It usually has a glass panel and traps the heat. It is possible to convert an open-hearth fireplace into an enclosed one by adding a fireplace insert.

Gas fireplace

Gas fireplaces are more efficient and cleaner than wood-burning fireplaces. But, they may not create the same ambience and romantic feel of the wood-burning fireplace. They also do not produce the sound and smell of a traditional wood-burning fireplace. 

Gas fireplaces can be retrofitted to old wood-burning fireplaces to make them more efficient. This type of gas fireplace is called an insert. It is also easier to light-up your gas fireplace, and you can turn it on with the touch of a button. The traditional fireplace takes longer to light-up and may emit a smoky odour, especially when you’re starting the fire. 

Electric Fireplace

There are also built-in electric fireplaces that do not require an existing fireplace. They are usually made of a metal box and glass panels. 

Electric fireplaces do not have pipes, gas lines, chimneys, or tanks and only require an electricity supply. There is no actual fire in electric fireplaces; they are just simulated. 

A mantel electric-fireplace looks like a built-in fireplace. For smaller homes, other smaller electric fireplace is also available. 

Electric fireplaces are the least expensive and can replicate the light and heat of a real fire. It can start quickly with the push of a button. 

But one disadvantage is you can’t use them when there is an electrical outage. During winter storms, when electric power is down, you will not be able to use it.

If you want to know more exciting things about fireplaces, you can read the other blog’s other articles.