As the sun departs earlier and temperatures dwindle lower, families like to gather around the warm glow of their fireplace. Many homeowners even use that fireplace to supplement their home heating due in part to rising heating fuel costs. Hometown Hearth by Chimney Cricket, who has been serving Delaware County for 33 years, continues to bring comfort and coziness through the warmth of a hearth.
With extensive knowledge in masonry chimney construction, Hometown Hearth specializes in new fireplace installation as well as repair and restoration services. Their showroom displays a vast array of fireplaces from wood and pellet burning to gas and electric. In addition, the showroom features fireplace surround samples including stone, brick, veneer, marble and more.
Wood burning fireplaces are different from gas and electric because they consist of a firebox, flue, and chimney. While few things can beat the look and feel of an open hearth fire, few heating appliances are as inefficient. Most open fireplaces operate at about 10% efficiency, meaning that 90% of the heat and energy are going up the chimney. A new certified wood burning insert, depending on the style, can raise that efficiency upwards to 60% - 80%.
The efficiency rating for inserts of other fuel sources such as pellets or gas are even higher. In addition to offering new installations and repairs, Hometown Hearth is focused on educating customers on the appropriate use of fireplaces. While fireplaces are great at keeping the home warm, the Hometown Hearth team notes that fire is never safe, but there are ways to keep the hearth safe for enjoyment in these winter months. Fireplace safety is critical. Their first safety tip is to have annual inspections and maintenance checks, examined by the experts at Hometown Hearth. Creosote, a highly flammable byproduct of wood combustion, solidifies and sticks to the chimney and is the number one cause of chimney fires. A deep-clean of your chimney every season will help prevent creosote buildup. Often people are also unaware of what could be in their chimneys when the fireplace is not in use, such as bird nests, squirrels nests, or other outside debris that may have been swept in.
Hometown Hearth is always upgrading to the latest developed technology and continuing education and certification of employees to ensure customer safety and satisfaction.
It is important to know what are the proper fuels to burn in a fireplace. Specifically knowing which types of wood to burn, how to burn them, and for how long. Hometown Hearth discourages utilizing a fireplace to discard unwanted items and materials. Certain types of wood, like pressure-treated woods, cannot be burned in a fireplace because they emit harmful chemicals into the air. Countless television shows and movies feature fireplaces as having the capacity of burning actively overnight, but in reality, fireplaces are not actually designed for that. Rather, fireplaces are meant to be utilized for short instances, approximately for about three hours or less.
Customers are invited to visit the Hometown Hearth showroom where they will discover all things fire and warmth related...how to keep your home warm, fireplaces & accessories, beautiful fireplace surrounds, outdoor fire pits, pizza ovens, and even Big Green Eggs. Have questions on fireplace safety or want to install a new fireplace insert? Ask to speak with one of their certified technicians. Visit Hometown Hearth at 101 State Road in Media, PA or call 610-833-1034 to make an appointment.
Most open fireplaces operate at about 10% efficiency, meaning that 90% of the heat and energy are going up the chimney. A new certified wood burning insert, depending on the style, can raise that efficiency upwards to 60% - 80%. The efficiency rating for inserts of other fuel sources such as pellets or gas are even higher.