Our Company Blog

Summer Clearance

It’s time to prepare for fall and winter with some new fire products that will set your home alight. Whether you’re looking for a stove, insert, or fireplace, you may be able to find it in our shop. Our end of summer clearance can be a great event for homeowners no matter the size of the home, the space to fill, or the style desired. If you’re not in the market for a fireplace, you can choose from gas grills that will make cooking holiday meals for the in-laws a breeze.

Current Sales and Clearance Products

Currently, on our website, homeowners can find great products on sale and clearance.

For the family chili-dog roast, the Heavy Duty Camp Fire Ring can be yours for a steal. In fact, it’s down almost 50% from the retail price. If you prefer outside bonfires to indoor yule logs this Christmas, the campfire ring is perfect and features beautiful starlight designs that will put you right into the holiday spirit.

If you like to host parties that spill onto the patio, the Portable Tempest Torch and the Patio Heater Torch will keep your guests toasty warm. The sale price brings value to your home as much as warmth and light to your parties.

When your decades-old fireplace is looking its age, you can have a Monessen Gas Insert retrofitted directly into the old firebox for a more efficient fire that is more safe and warm than the old one. If it’s the mantel that’s the problem, you can give the fireplace a facelift with a new mantel, also on sale on our website and in our store.

For homeowners looking to add wood heat to their homes, but no hearth to speak of, we have a Thelin Parlor Wood Stove, stylish and sleek, and for $750 off. We can install your new stove in any space using refractory materials to protect your walls and floors. If you’re looking to add a freestanding stove to your home, you can do so now at a great price and still have time to have a crackling wood fire for winter.

Visit Our Store

There are more products on sale in our store at 381 Old Riverhead Road in Westhampton Beach, New York. If you’re in the area, stop in and see what kinds of products and services are on sale now. Come in today and talk with a professional so that your fireplace is ready to work for you this winter. Buy in-store and from a certified professional so that your fireplace, insert, or stove is installed properly and safely. Too many showrooms are filled with returns and trade-ins that were purchased online, sized incorrectly, and installed unsafely. Don’t put your trust in the amateurs, the home improvement stores, or in online shopping. Shop the licensed professionals at Beach Stove and Fireplace. Our experts are CSIA certified chimney sweeps who sell, install, service, and repair fire appliances. Call us at 631-998-0780.

The Importance of Annual Appliance Maintenance

Spring may be the time for “spring cleaning”, but fall is the time for maintenance that keeps your home running smoothly through winter. According to the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) home fires report, heating equipment causes at least 15 percent of reported home fires. Nearly half of home heating fires occur in winter and the leading cause? Failure to clean.

Annual Maintenance Means Safety

The Chimney Safety Institute of America (CSIA) along with the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) insist that chimneys must be cleaned and inspected annually in order to maintain the highest level of safety and efficiency. Simply put, your dirty chimney will not work as well as it would if it were clean. This lack of efficiency drops safety and raises risk. In order to keep your chimney working safely and properly, you must have your fire appliance and chimney system maintained annually. Schedule these important services now and your system will be ready for the first fire of the season.

CSIA and NFI Certified Services

Beach Stove and Fireplace can sell the best products on the market, and our sister company, Guaranteed Chimney Service, can maintain them. Our friends at Guaranteed Chimney Service are CSIA certified and NFI certified. That means that even the manufacturers of the appliances we sell trust these certified professionals. Failing to hire an appropriately certified professional may lead to the loss of a warranty. Not only can it cost you a warranty if you hire the WRONG professional, but it can cost you much more if you neglect to schedule maintenance at all.

Schedule Services Today for a Safer Tomorrow

Whether you have a fireplace, insert, or stove, it needs to be maintained properly in order to burn efficiently and vent safely. Wood-burning and pellet fires produce soot and creosote which can build-up in the system and become a dangerous hazard. Gas appliances are more popular than ever for their efficiency and low-maintenance, but gas appliances also need to be serviced annually. They just won’t require such extensive services.

What to Expect

Before your appointment, make sure the fire hasn’t been burning in at least 48 hours. If you haven’t had your system inspected or cleaned since last burn season, you should avoid lighting a fire in it until this important appointment. Your technician will arrive on time and with clear identification. If you have a gas appliance, the logs will be removed and cleaned, burners and connectors checked, doors and hinges cleaned, and more. Gas, pellet, and wood appliances can all deteriorate over time, leading to even more deterioration. This type of damage is detected during an annual service appointment. Your furniture and flooring will be protected by drop cloths and any mess is contained and cleared away with an industrial vacuuming system.

The best part about scheduling your fireplace or chimney service now? It will be ready for your fire this fall. Schedule now and beat the fall rush!

Call Beach Stove and Fireplace today at 631-998-0780 or stop by our store.

Are You a Builder? Let us Help!

Since the weather is dry and not yet freezing, there is a lot of new construction happening in our area. It’s exciting when new homes come to the area and when new neighbors move in. Our trade partners in the area know to call in the professionals when it comes to adding a fireplace to a new construction. Are you a builder who needs help with a fireplace or chimney system? Perhaps you are new to the area yourself. We are happy to make new connections and take on new projects that will help keep this area stay safe from harm.

Certified Chimney Professionals
At Beach Stove and Fireplace we take safety seriously. That is why all of our products are of only the best technologies and brands and our chimney professionals are all CSIA Certified Chimney Sweeps. Through our training and experience, we are abreast of all federal, state, and local fire safety codes. We will work with you until the job is complete, never stopping until the homeowner is satisfied with the final product.

Masonry Builds, Rebuilds, and Repairs
Our team doesn’t consist of chimney experts alone, but our experts are also master masons. Our technicians work to build chimneys and fireplace systems to your exact specifications. No matter the size, design, or stone type, we can do it. We are certified by the National Fireplace Institute and are Master Hearth Professionals who can work to make sure you have the beautiful, long-lasting, and efficient fireplace. We can install gas, pellet, or wood-burning fire appliances, build a hearth around it, and you’ll have the fireplace you want and need.

Add a Fireplace, Add Value
If you’re looking to add value to a new construction either to sell or to enjoy, a fireplace will do just that. Homeowners want fireplaces. You can add a simple fireplace that a potential homeowner can upgrade in the future, or you can dream up a fireplace to build now. Call Beach Stove and Fireplace to involve the professionals from the beginning. We can help you decide the best fireplace for your space whether for looks, for supplementary heat, or even a primary heat source. We have what you need and are happy to work with you on ongoing projects and future renovations and rebuilds as well.

Builders, contractors, and homeowners who are planning new constructions or renovations can count on Beach Stove and Fireplace for your fireplace and chimney needs. We are the go-to chimney and fireplace professionals for Suffolk County, with all the experience and certifications necessary to get the job done and to get it done right.

Call and talk to a technician today at 631-998-0780 and get started today.

The Benefits of Glass Fireplace Doors

If you want to make your fireplace safer and more efficient, Beach Stove & Fireplace recommends installing glass fireplace doors. Not only do these doors improve the performance of a fireplace, but they also give you an easy way to update the look of your hearth. If you do not have glass doors installed in front of your fireplace, we would like to tell you more about the benefits of this fireplace accessory.

SAVE MONEY AND ENERGY

Without glass fireplace doors, cooled and heated air can easily escape through the chimney, which is a big waste of both money and energy. When you install these doors, you will be stopping the air from leaking out of your home. In the winter, your home will be warmer, and in the summer, your home will be cooler because your fireplace will be sealed shut by glass doors. We know you will see your utility bills decrease after installing glass fireplace doors.

IMPROVE EFFICIENCY OF YOUR FIREPLACE

Don’t be afraid that glass fireplace doors will keep the heat from the fire from spreading into your home. These doors actually improve the heating efficiency of a fireplace. The heat from the fire will radiate through the doors into the room.

MAKE YOUR FIREPLACE SAFER

If you have children and/or pets, keeping them safe can be a main concern. When you install glass fireplace doors, you are protecting your loved ones from getting into the fire accidentally. You still need to teach your children not to touch the glass doors as they become very hot. Glass fireplace doors also keep hot sparks and embers from jumping out of the fire into the room where they could possibly ignite a fire. They also prevent burning logs from falling out of the fireplace onto the floor.

GIVE A NEW LOOK TO YOUR HEARTH

If you would like to update the appearance of your fireplace but are on a budget, glass fireplace doors are an easy and relatively inexpensive way to do that. Beach Stove & Fireplace offers a wide variety of styles and designs of glass fireplace doors that will give you several options to give your hearth a new look.

REDUCE CHIMNEY DRAFT PROBLEMS

Draft problems in your chimney can lead to downdrafts that cause smoke to come into your living space through the fireplace. Glass fireplace doors do not allow smoke to come in, and they can even eliminate any draft issues you may have.

Interested in installing glass doors on your fireplace? Contact us at Beach Stove & Fireplace to learn more about how we can help you improve the function, safety, and appearance with glass fireplace doors.

If you’re tired of hauling and storing wood, consider a pellet insert

Your wood-burning fireplace is an asset to your home. It adds heat, ambiance, and style, and helps keep your heating bills low. But wood-burning fireplaces are a lot of work: Chopping, splitting, hauling, and stacking wood is time consuming, and it takes a lot of space to store the wood you need to warm your home during the winter. If you’re tired of hauling and storing wood, consider a pellet insert.

How pellet inserts work

A pellet insert can be placed inside your existing wood-burning fireplace, along with a stainless steel chimney liner. Pellet stoves burn either wood pellets, made of compressed dehydrated sawdust, or biofuels such as corn, cherry pits, or wheat hulls. The pellets are poured into a storage hopper, and then an auger automatically feeds them into a burn pan. The stove’s fans and vents pull in cooler air to be heated and pump hot air back into your home.

Save yourself storage space

One of the biggest advantages of pellet stoves is that the fuel is readily available and easily stored. Pellets are sold in 40 pound bags at most hardware and many big-box stores. Because they come in 40 pound bags, you can buy bags of pellets as needed. With firewood, you either stack what you need for winter, or you have to buy wood one cord at a time. Pellets can save you from finding somewhere to store all of your firewood. One cord of wood occupies 128 cubic feet of storage space, compared with 80 cubic feet of storage space for one ton of pellets, which provides the equivalent heating power. On average, a home with a wood stove or wood-burning fireplace burns three cords of hardwood each year.

Save yourself from hauling firewood

Of course, wood also comes with the hassle of hauling it back and forth from the woodpile to your house, and adding logs to your fire several times a day. Your firewood needs to be stored a distance from your house to avoid attracting pests to your home. Pellets can be stored in your garage or basement, and because pellets are automatically fed from the storage hopper, pellet stoves don’t need to be tended throughout the day. Depending on your pellet insert, one hopper of pellets can heat a home for up to 24 hours.

Save yourself energy

Another major advantage to pellet stoves is their energy efficiency. Pellet stoves are hailed by green-living enthusiasts as one of the cleanest ways to heat your home. Because the pellets are dehydrated, they produce very little smoke when burned, and almost all of the energy from the fire goes back into heating your home. The fuel is considered carbon neutral because the wood or bio-pellets would have released the same carbon into the air during natural composition. And, of course, whether you’re burning wood or biofuel, your pellets are made from a renewable resource.

If you’re interested in freeing yourself from the headache of chopping, hauling, and storing firewood, call the experts at Beach Stove and Fireplace. We can tell you everything you need to know about upgrading to a pellet insert!

Proper Ash Disposal

Disposing of ash is a necessary evil that comes with enjoying a lovely fire at the end of a long day. The burning wood results in a pile of byproduct that needs to be removed in order to be able to continually use your fireplace or stove. Let us walk you through the proper way to remove and dispose of ash, and how often you need to do it to ensure a safe environment. Your plants will thank you!

After a certain amount of burning, some of the ash needs to be removed, but a little of it can actually help. The Chimney Safety Institute of America (CSIA) says that having an inch or so of ash under the grate will protect and encourage heat in the coals and result in more heat being produced. This can only be a good thing during the upcoming cold. It takes balance though. Too much ash will do the opposite to the coals, dispersing heat and not insulating the coals. Protecting the firebox is beneficial, but ash overload is where the trouble starts. The ash accumulation could spill over into the floor and singe or burn the flammable materials nearby.

Wait an entire 24 hours before attempting disposal. Ash that may look fine to touch won’t fully be cool until then. If you are unsure or in a time crunch, using heat resistant gloves will be your best bet to not burn yourself. Wearing your gloves, slowly remove the ash from the firebox until all that remains is larger coals that can be relit and about an inch of residual ash. The ash can be put in a bucket or sealed crate until cool, but put the container out of harms reach, in a closet or rarely used pantry. The temptation would be too great for small children or animals. If the ash is still warm, cover the pile in sand or cover with a lid of some sort to keep oxygen out. This will starve out any flame that may be tempted to develop.

Once your ash bucket has been removed from eyesight, forget about it. Wait three days and then uncover it. Relocate the cooled ash to a bag of some sort and put in the garbage. If your garden could use more alkaline soil, sprinkling some ash onto the plants could be very beneficial. Don’t dump the whole bucket though, you don’t want to shock your plants by completely changing the soil pH.

Ash is very alkaline, so too much will change the pH of the soil, and will end up killing your plants. If dumping the remaining ash seems wasteful, there are many other alternative uses as well. Our favorite is using ash instead of salt on slippery surfaces during the winter months to melt ice without damaging your soil!

Give us a call with any questions you have about your chimney or fireplace and make sure to have us out to sweep and inspect before the harsh winter sets in!

Emergency heating solutions during power outages

With all things pumpkin-spiced and warm comes the anticipated cold weather. By now your chimney is swept and inspected (and if not there is still time), and you have got your grandmother’s recipe for chicken noodle soup ready for the making. As lovely as the image looks, it’s important to prepare your home and your family for extreme circumstances. Having a power outage during the middle of winter isn’t only inconvenient: it’s downright dangerous.

Your home:

Here at Beach Stove and Fireplace, we highly recommend preparing a power outage kit, especially if you have children. Having warm clothes and blankets, a battery-powered radio or TV, matches, as well as flashlights and extra batteries readily available will minimize the stress and make it easier to focus on finding an alternative heat source. Isolate your family into a single room with at least one alternative heating solution. Most commonly, a living room with a wood-burning fireplace is the chosen room. It doesn’t have to be a fireplace though. As long as the chosen room has an adequate source of ventilation, you can use a stove or space heater that utilizes oil, gas, coal, or wood to fuel it. If none of these options are available, a gas oven or even a camp stove could be used to provide warmth. Multiple options are always better

Finding fuel:

If possible, having a stack of easily accessible firewood would be best, but emergencies call for other alternatives just in case. Newspapers, magazines, straw, or even corncobs can be used as kindling. Lighter fluid, gasoline, furnace oil, camp stove fuel, and alcohol accelerate the spread of a flame with the strike of a match. Longer burning fuel like coal and wood chips can replace firewood if your supply runs out. Rolling paper, like newspapers, tightly will produce a slower burn as well. Extreme situations have even called for the burning of furniture.

Other tidbits:

Sectioning yourself off to one room in your home will keep you and your family warm until help arrives and the power turns back on. Hang towels or bedding over any windows or doors that may carry a draft. Avoid opening the refrigerator or freezer unless necessary. Your food will stay cold and the house won’t become any cooler. Keep some sort of fire extinguishing substance like baking soda, water, or salt near by your heating source. Someone should always be watching the heat source at all times to ensure proper ventilation. Carbon monoxide poisoning is a real threat without some airflow out of the room.

Being prepared means being able to keep your cool and have a plan. Let us know if you have any questions about what to do in a power outage.

When and how to open and close your damper

While we have no doubt that your fireplace and chimney are well-maintained and inspected regularly, all the various parts can still be confusing to the homeowner. There is so much that isn’t seen from the exterior, and it is hard to remember that there is a lot more going on inside your stove and fireplace. The damper is one of the most essential parts of the fireplace, and is the most important for ventilation, saving you time and money in the long-term.

What is a damper?

Anyone who has ever lit a fire with good intentions and ended up with a smoke-filled house has quickly realized the importance of a damper. A damper is a metal or ceramic flap that controls the passing of various gases in and out of your home. They are found in fireplaces with both wood and gas fires because both emit gas. A manual control by some sort of handle, latch, or chain moves the flap located in the chimney. A very simple device, yet necessary to keep in top working order.

How to open and close a damper:

The handle, lever, or chain, is usually located in the firebox. To open or close it, move or pull the device into the open position. If you are unsure of the position, it will be clear after a fire is lit. Use a pair of pliers or an oven mitt if it’s hot to the touch to change the position. The damper is imperative in keeping your house well ventilated when a fire is lit in your fireplace or stove, and should remain completely open until the initial smoke subsides. Once the fire is established, the damper can then be adjusted to control its intensity. When the fire begins to die down, slowly close the damper as the smoke subsides, only closing it fully when there is no longer any flame or visible smoke. By keeping it completely closed when the chimney isn’t in use, it also saves you money by keeping cold air from coming into your warm house. The best benefit of a damper is that you control the airflow, not Mother Nature.

As always, we emphasize the importance of keeping your chimney professionally swept and inspected. During our exams we check to see that your damper is in working order, but knowing how to work your damper will come in handy on these cool nights! Keeping your fireplace clear of ash and soot will also allow the damper to do its job more effectively, and will save you money in the long run. For other questions give Beach Stove and Fireplace a call at 631-998-0780 and we will answer any confusion you may have about the mysterious chimney.

It’s Time to Think About a Fire Pit

During this transition between the hot summer months and the cooler fall, it is a perfect time to think about adding a fire pit to your backyard paradise. Sitting outside with a drink and the smell of burning wood wafting into your nostrils is a great scene and an even better event space for entertaining others. As people add more and more accessories to their backyards, installing an attractive, crackling fire pit is just what the doctor ordered.

What to consider when adding a fire pit:

Like any new fixture in your home, it is important to consider all the choices before settling on the final product. What do you want out of your fire pit? Having simply a nice ambiance can result in a different product than one created for serious heat. Your budget can be another big factor. Starting at around $100, the choice to install it yourself, or have one that simply sits on the ground, will quickly filter out many of the competitors. If your budget is more in the range of several thousand dollars to more than $10,000, there are many more options to choose from, especially if you want a custom fire pit that matches the décor of your house and outside entertaining space. Deciding if you want your fire pit to be in your yard permanently or temporarily can also alter your options. If you can see the fire pit being a permanent fixture as the season changes, having one custom built with the proper materials and stones is essential. Having a choice in the metal, either copper, stainless steel, or cast iron, that forms the bowl of your fire pit can add or detract from the ambiance you are trying to achieve.

What to be careful of:

Within your own backyard, it is easy to lose sight of the dangers that are associated with fire, especially when left unattended. Keep your fire pit centrally located, in full view of yourself and your guests. Clearing away any brush or tree limbs that are anywhere near the pit will limit the chances for something to catch on fire. Before lighting the fire, make sure the wood you’re using doesn’t throw sparks excessively (common among pine or cedar wood), and take note of the wind patterns. Using soft wood or lighting a fire when it is excessively windy is a safety hazard for both you and your guests. Besides designing the right ambiance, ensuring that your fire pit follows all the local laws and community rules is absolutely necessary. Many have regulations limiting how close your fire pit can be from other homes, and some may even require a permit or site inspection to make sure there is no chance of your fire pit catching something like a fence or tree branch on fire.

There is no time like the present to consider adding a fire pit to your outdoor setting! Give us a call at 631-998-0780 with questions about your fire pit options.

The Benefits of Glass Doors on Fireplaces

Your fireplace is the focal point of any room, both beautiful and functional. Whether gas or the more traditional wood, it adds value to your home and can be customized based on your preferences and lifestyle. Adding glass doors to your fireplace will not only heighten the allure and ambience of the area, but provide several other benefits as well:

Safety:

An open fire is a hazard for pets and children as they are attracted to the glow and are curious and exploring creatures. Even oblivious adults can hurt themselves if sitting too close or not being careful around the flame. Doors that separate the fire from the rest of the room give you peace of mind, and protect the innocent and unaware. Glass doors will keep any sparks or flying embers from hurting your loved ones, or damaging your flooring. Your home furnishings, and therefore your home, will be protected.

Lower Costs:

Installing glass doors in your home aren’t only safe, though that alone is reason enough, they are also very cost efficient. The warm air that is in your house, as a result of your fire, actually stays in your house! Glass doors seal off air from escaping up the chimney, so your house stays at a warmer temperature, and you don’t have to pay extra money for another heat source. Dampers just don’t do the job: actual doors are the only way to keep your fireplace sealed off.

Efficiency:

Not only do glass doors keep your fireplace sealed off, they also transfer heat extremely well. The doors radiate the heat emitted from a fireplace much more evenly around the room. Since they are located so close to the fire itself, they are also able to transfer a larger percentage of heat emitted by the flames, as opposed to what we could feel without getting burned. Because the fire is enclosed, the logs produce a higher temperature flame, which is then released evenly into the room via the glass doors.

Beauty and Style:

Getting glass doors is a simple step towards creating a more relaxed, classier environment. They come in a variety of shapes and styles that you can choose depending on the décor and look you desire. Though we encourage an annual chimney and fireplace inspection and sweep, if you do have an unsightly fireplace, glass doors will conceal it. Ashes and blackened logs don’t have to ruin the ambiance you worked so hard to create.

There are so many reasons to install glass doors. If you have any questions about how to add extra allure to your home, or are curious about other services we provide, don’t hesitate to visit our website or call us.