Much like purchasing any type of appliance, it is important to spend time choosing the right hearth products to fit your needs. We discuss the various types of products available and provide information to help you identify the right unit for your home. Remember, the starting point is you, your home, your tastes and your lifestyle.

Types of Hearths

There are several types of heating units available. When most people think of fireplaces, the first thought is usually the conventional wood burning fireplace where the size and type of material used to decorate the outside of the fireplace were the only choices involved. Now there are more practical and efficient heating systems. There are also government laws regulating emissions and the cost of heat loss from chimneys. These factors have resulted in the dwindling popularity of conventional fireplaces.

To counter these new requirements, you now have several different types of heating units as well as a spectrum of fuels. The following is a guideline of the types of hearths and fuels now available, as well as which will be right for your new home.

Wood Burning Fireplaces

A wood-burning fireplace can bring a look, smell, sound, and feel to your home. There are three types of wood burning fireplaces: Traditional, Clean Burning, and EPA-certified. A Traditional wood-burning fireplace is currently the most common type found in homes today, and is typically what is associated with the idea of a wood-burning fireplace. The two other high efficiency fireplaces, Clean Burning and EPA-certified are more technologically advanced, and offer more benefits to the homeowner.

When selecting a wood-burning fireplace it is best to know which type will meet your performance expectations. Traditional fireplaces are open combustion systems, which means they do not require a glass door for operation, and are ideal for occasional fires that produce warmth and ambiance. Clean Burning and EPA-Certified fireplaces are recommended if the purpose is to provide substantial heat. These are closed combustion systems; a closed glass door is needed for proper use, which burns wood more efficiently. Therefore these two types are good for areas with sporadic power outages and where the cost of heating a home is an issue.

Gas Burning Fireplaces

Gas burning fireplaces have a variety of designs, styles, and sizes that make them effective for almost any home. A gas fireplace is a factory-built firebox with a glass face for viewing the fire. Some are designed for decorative use, while others are built to heat a room. Some models are also available with ducting to help circulate heat throughout a particular zone of the house.

A gas fireplace can be installed almost anywhere in the home as long as natural gas or propane is available. Installation can occur along an outside wall or in the middle of a room. This is a result of zero-clearance construction where little space is needed between the unit and combustible material such as wood or wallboard. There are also three venting options, natural vent, direct vent, and vent free. Natural vented gas fireplaces are designed to vent through the roof using a gas pipe. Direct-vented units vent through the wall behind the fireplace. Vent-free gas fireplaces require no venting. The three venting options assist in making the positioning of the fireplace a lot less complicated.

Wood Stoves

Wood stoves are comforting, economical, and environmentally friendly. Wood stoves are designed to burn wood efficiently, with little tending, while producing minimal ash and requiring less firewood. The idea of the old black stove with a huge pipe for venting is a thing of the past. Wood stoves are now made of steel, cast-iron, or soapstone and are designed to blend in with the home's interior design. Wood stoves are manufactured with windows for viewing and are available in many styles and colors, with the pipe sleeker and colored to match the stove.

Most wood stoves have the capacity to heat an entire house; yet can also be used to as a secondary heat source for areas of a home where the most activity occurs. The heat levels can easily be maintained for even extended periods of time.

Gas Stoves

Gas stoves are units that provide ambiance and convenience. With a push of a button you can have a fire that looks much like a wood burning fire. Then just as quickly the fire can be turned off. Like gas fireplaces, gas stoves have three different venting types natural or top vent, direct vent, and vent-free. Within these categories there is a wide range of sizes with varying heating capabilities. The best benefit to a gas stove is the installation flexibility, which makes it easy to install a gas stove in just about any location in the house.

The advancements in gas stoves throughout the years have made the gas stove an increasingly popular choice for hearth needs. The viewing window plays a big role in the enjoyment of a gas stove because of the beauty of the fire. Developments in the appearance of the flames have come closer to resemble a real wood fire. The appearance of the hand painted and intricately molded logs have improved as well. Another advancement is gas stoves can help save money on heating through zone heating. Zone heating with a stove is used to heat only a specific area of a home such as a family or living room.

Pellet Stoves

Pellet stoves are efficient and unique home heaters that generate an automated, economical, and earth friendly wood heat with out the firewood. Pellet stoves are perfect for homes that have high energy bills due to fluctuating energy costs. Pellet stoves are often used as secondary heating sources to help maintain heating costs. Pellet stoves burn economical pellets made from recycled sawdust. The economy of pellets is due to the low cost of the materials and the efficiency of the manufacturing process.

Pellet stoves have several other advantages besides cost savings. Pellet stoves are also efficient home heaters with almost complete combustion of the fuel. Generating little smoke, making pellet stoves the lowest mission solid-fuel burning hearth available. Another advantage is the automated feeder. Pellet stoves operate with an easy to use automated pellet feeder. To use the stove simply load a supply of pellets into the hopper and start the stove. Once the stove is operating, an automated feed system delivers the wood pellets into the burn chamber within the stove where combustion air is forced through the fire creating a mini furnace. In many pellet stoves the ignition system is also automatic for added convenience.

Making the Choice

When selecting a fireplace there is no right or wrong choice. Choose a fireplace that is going to reflect your personal style, and that is going to blend in readily to your new home's design. When making a selection, consider budget, size of the fireplace, appearance, ease of operation, efficiency, heat output, and structural limitations.