When we first moved into our house in 1991, the air conditioner and heater didn’t work well at all. It was a waste of electricity to even run the thing, and probably a hazard as well. Winter came and we needed some heat, so we began looking around to see what our options were. Having a fireplace already, we thought that it would be nice if we could funnel that heat throughout the house. So we focused on finding something to help us do that.
We found an Ashley fireplace insert at a local hardware store. The price was something we could afford at the time, but I can’t recall exactly how much it was. However much it cost, the store also installed it for us, saving us the backbreaking work. We have now had our insert for about 18 years and it is still working just fine, although it is showing some age. We were able to buy a new ac and heat unit on down the road, but we would still rely on the insert to provide a nice, hot and affordable heating source. Now, all these years later, we find once again our electric heating furnace has failed. It will once again need to be replaced. But until we can afford to do that, we are depending on our Ashley insert to heat our home this winter.
Our house is ranch style and the fireplace is located at one end with a straight shot down the hall to the bedrooms. So, the heat is able to reach most of the house. Our insert has speed control, which controls how much heat you want coming out and how fast, plus it has a vent control on it that helps to slow the burning of the wood. Our emissions are also less because of the insert.
It is fairly easy to use with minimum effort involved. The worst part is having to bring wood down from the woodpile. But since we only load the insert a few times a day, the trips are not as frequent as they were before we had the insert. With just a regular fireplace, wood burns much more quickly.
As our insert has aged, one problem that we’ve noticed is that the dampner sticks. In order to open the glass door to load the wood, we have to open the dampner or we’ll get a housefull of smoke. Over the years, between heat and just yucky build-up of gunk, it gets harder and harder to open. It has also started to rattle a bit, but we’ve been able to find that problem and put a stop to it. Now, I wish I could tell you the exact model and all of what we have, but it is 18 years old and I just don’t have that great of a memory. I did do some research on newer models and wanted to share with you what I found out.
Ashely’s new model is the 4600. I found this one on usstove.com for about $1600. It does include a 110 cfm blower and puts out about 40,000 BTUs per hour. It can heat up to about 1,600 square feet and comes with a 6″ flue collar. It can hold logs up to 18″ long, weighs about 360 pounds and includes a trim kit. This one looks a lot like ours and is probably even more efficient since it is a new model. Our Ashley insert does have all the same features. Our house is a little over 1,700 square feet and the heater keeps the temperature at right about 70 degrees. Our bedrooms do get a little cooler, so we use small electric heaters in there, but overall, our Ashley heats our home quite well.
I did some more research to see what else was available to consumers and found on homeclick.com several different models of wood burning fireplace inserts with blowers. One of those is the Deluxe EPA Wood Burning Fireplace Insert by Continental. Model number CI-1101p runs a price of about $770. The website didn’t give any details about BTUs, though. I also found on the same site, an Osburn 1100 for about $1200. This unit has a 130 cfm blower and puts out about 45,000 BTUs per hour. It heats up to 1,400 square feet and has a self-cleaning glass system.
There are several things I wish our unit had and the glass cleaning system is one of them. After we’ve burned a fire for so long, the window does get black gunk built up on it. Having the insert has been very practical for us and saves us a lot of money on heating bills, but it does take away from the charm of having a beautiful fire in the fireplace. When it comes down to it, though, I’d rather have the heat and not worry about the charm! For those of you looking for a greener way to heat your home while saving on costs, I do recommend getting an insert for your fireplace. It has been really worth it in the long run of 18 years!
