An outdoor furnace is aptly named. It is a furnace that operates outdoors – but fills the needs for indoor heating. Outwardly, it resembles a small utility shed complete with a peaked roof and door.However, inside the protective shell is a wood-fired stove that heats a water jacket. The heated liquid in this boiler apparatus [...]
In the first part of my look into the realm of outdoor furnaces the main ingredient was a boiler situated away from the main structure and heated by wood. Insulated pipes run underground from the outdoor furnace to the home and provide warmth either from direct piping in the floors or from a heat transfer [...]
An old-fashioned fireplace may look nice in your living room but it may be burning up your money with as little as ten percent of the heat it produces actually heating the room. Luckily for homeowners a properly installed fireplace insert will make all the difference. Fireplace inserts can improve the heating efficiency of a [...]
Using a gas fireplace to supplement your main heat source makes a lot of sense and with so many beautiful models available to choose from, it’s a great style choice as well. Rising energy prices have forced a lot of homeowners to examine their heating options. The price of gas has increased along with the [...]
There’s a simple rule about chimneys: if you have one then you need to have it inspected and cleaned before each heating season. Most people don’t do that. Chimneys need to be cleaned to reduce creosote — the residue left following combustion. Creosote can build up in stovepipes and chimneys and become a fire hazard. [...]
Chimneys serve to vent combustion by-products from fireplaces or appliances. Since this goes on behind the scene, problems that arise within your chimney often go undetected until they reach crisis proportion. Chimney brickwork or lining may become damaged from chimney fires, lightning strikes, or just the natural settling of your home. Clay tiles, used to [...]
The most clever of the three little pigs built himself a house of bricks. It was a strong house that kept out the wind, including all of the huffing and puffing from the big, bad wolf. True to the story, many brick homes have outlasted houses constructed with other materials. Thus, as children we learned [...]
Nothing compares to the classic elegance of brick. Its strength and durability as well as traditional beauty leave it without rival as the foremost sought after exterior finish. VALUE No doubt you have noticed that most real estate listings for brick homes recognize this fact. On average, brick homes resale quicker and 6% higher on [...]
The beauty and elegance of a natural stone countertop is hard to beat. The look is rich. The material is durable. The feel is luxury. Whether it is made into a slab or produced as a tile, each piece of natural stone is unique and there are a lot of different options in the natural [...]
