NDL Hearth Blog

Wood burning stoves are much more efficient than traditional wood burning fireplaces. Our retailers get asked questions about efficiency all the time. An enclosed fire is much more efficient than a fireplace where the heat can go right up the chimney.

If you have a wood fireplace and you want to more efficiently heat your home and save money and energy, you should install a wood burning stove. A wood stove is an easy and effective way to update the look of your home and with so many styles, colors and sizes, there is a wood stove for you from modern to traditional.

But, the main draw of a wood stove is their efficiency. The fire burns hotter, and the heat is radiated into the room instead of being allowed to escape up the chimney with the draft.

Traditional fireplaces have very low efficiency ratings. The fire needs air to burn. The air is drawn to the fire, the fire burns quickly, and most of the air goes up the chimney. This is the draft.  This draft is the reason conventional fireplaces are ineffective and inefficient. They pull air from inside the house up the chimney. This creates a vacuum which pulls cold air into the house.

Wood stoves burn the fire in a metal box, that box radiates the heat out. So the heat isn’t wasted, the heat is more effective, and the heat is more efficient; the result is less money spent on heating bills.  

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If you are getting your home ready to put on the market this spring, think of adding a few luxuries to entice potential buyers. Set your home apart from the others with a new gas or wood stove, fireplace or insert. As you know, homes sales in New England and the Northeast are increasing, but home pricing has become much more competitive. With the spring comes an increase in home sales, and with interest rates still low compared to years past, and a rebounding economy, it is the perfect time to sell your home.

Gas fires add convenience and ambiance to any home. With the touch of a button potential buyers know that in your home, they can enjoy a relaxing fire anytime. And, how nice to showcase your home at an open house with a cozy fire blazing in the fireplace.

With a wood burning stove or insert added to your home, your realtor can show potential buyers the advantage of your home over the competition, a decrease in home heating utility bills. Not only will potential buyers save money heating their new home next winter, they will be able to enjoy the ambiance and beauty provided by a beautiful fire.

But whichever fuel source you choose, one thing is certain; working fireplaces add atmosphere and ambiance to any home. New home buyers love the idea of a working hearth and they make your home more enticing. Home buyers are looking for a unique and homey piece of real estate. With all of their options make your house the home they are looking for.

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It is approaching the time to clean out your wood stove, fireplace or insert, hopefully for the rest of the winter season! We have worked our fireplaces hard this winter, and they need a break, a cleaning and a polishing after what we have put them through this year. The winter of 2010-2011 has entered the history books for the Northeast, and our stoves and inserts need a break.

Northeast Distribution, LTD has all the products you need to make your stove, insert or fireplace look brand new again. We offer many different styles of ash buckets and shovels for cleaning up after a wood burning fire. It certainly is an unpleasant job, but there's but you can at least make cleaning as quick and easy as possible.

Imperial also makes the best line of maintenance products and stove paints on the market today. For easy cleaning of your stove, fireplace, or insert we carry all that you need. Glass door, gas log, and masonry cleaner along with gold and brass cleaner and high heat stove paint.

For everything wood stove, fireplace and insert related for Spring Cleaning, call Northeast Distribution today.

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Surely this winter you have been to a home that has felt cozy, welcoming and warm with a fire burning the fireplace. Fireplaces instill a sense of warmth and security in any room. The firelight sends a sense of calm through the atmosphere. You can have this in your home too, with Vermont Castings Wood Burning Fireplace.

The heat generated by a Vermont Castings wood burning fireplace is just the beginning. The room feels welcome, with a cheerful and relaxing ambience, but also, the Sequoia Wood Burning Fireplace by Vermont Castings can heat up to a 2,500 square foot home as efficiently as a wood stove. Efficiency and beauty are combined in this fireplace design.

And, they are less expensive than you think. But, thanks to newer fireplace technology, the efficiency of a Vermont Castings fireplace drives down your heating costs. Wood is a cost effective, efficient and comforting way to heat your home. Not to mention the traditional look of a wood burning fireplace brings people more comfort, and provides a focal point to your room. You’ll notice the fire becoming the gathering place in the evenings. Contact us at 866-602-7227 for more information on any Vermont Castings Products.

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Creosote buildup inside your chimney is the primary reason you will need to have the chimney cleaned, and it is the primary cause of chimney fires. Creosote is one of the chemical products of “incomplete combustion of fuel”. It is one of byproducts of burning fires that is carried up your chimney through the flue to be vented safely outside.

There are several steps you can take to minimize creosote condensation inside your chimney. The first and easiest is to always burn well seasoned wood in your fireplace or woodstove. Green wood, or unseasoned wood, has high water content so it burns cooler with more smoke. Cooler burning and more smoke both contribute to creosote buildup in your chimney.

You also want the most complete combustion of your wood that is possible for your fireplace or woodstove. Meaning, you want to burn the wood in the fire as completely as you can at a hot temperature. A small, hot fire burns the fuel more completely than a large, cooler fire.

Non-toxic and environmentally safe creosote cleaner is also sold. Creosote cleaner, which you can spray inside your fireplace or wood stove, and on the wood within the firebox, helps prevent chimney fires, and turns dangerous creosote and soot into a harmless ash or char that can be easily removed. Once your fire is lit, creosote cleaner helps reduce the amount of buildup in your chimney and helps breakdown the creosote that exists there from previous fires. Although sprays do decrease the creosote, it by no means is a real substitute for a regular chimney sweeping.

However, anti creosote sprays are a great addition to your cleaning repertoire, helping prevent the creosote from becoming too solid. Spraying your fireplace or wood stove regularly is a very good idea for chimney maintenance.

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With gas prices on the rise, and home heating oil prices at $3.50 a gallon as a national average, wouldn’t you like to lower your fuel costs? With an alternative heating source in your home, you can. Wood is an excellent, efficient, hot, and beautiful way to heat your home. Wood fireplaces, inserts and stoves are a cost effective way to supplement or eliminate your heating bills while bringing beauty and ambience to your home.

Wood as a home heating fuel source addresses many of your own heating problems as well as global energy problems. Wood is a renewable energy source, and with today’s wood burning stove technology, it burns much more cleanly and efficiently than in days past.

And with the beauty that a wood burning fireplace brings to your home, you can enjoy more than just a lower heating bill, you can enjoy a gorgeous fire and exceptional warmth. With manufacturers like Vermont Castings, Pacific Energy, Archgard and Dutchwest, you can find the stove, fireplace or insert that you have been looking for to perfectly fit the style and size of your home.

Let Northeast Distribution connect you to the finest hearth retailers in your area that can answer your questions and find the perfect wood burning heat for your lifestyle.

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Last night, the House voted 177 to 148 in favor of the $858 billion Tax Cut Compromise Package of 2010 that reduces the biomass heater tax credit to 10 percent with a $300 cap. The bill now goes to the White House for the President's signature. Another significant change that further restricts the tax credit for biomass appliances is that Congress removed the lower heating value measurement and only allows the credit toward the purchase price and not for installation.

Energy efficiency provisions were shortchanged even further by a clause that says the $500 tax credit is a lifetime maximum, meaning that if a homeowner has used this credit anytime since 2005, it cannot be used again. During the past two years, the credit up to $1,500 could be used regardless of whether the family has used the credit between 2005 and 2009.

The reduction to 10 percent tax credit affects all energy efficiency measures that had enjoyed 30 percent credit for the past two years. Many members of Congress felt the 25C tax credit program had cost the government too much money and should not be extended in its current form at 30 percent up to $1,500.

This setback for incentives for wood and pellet heating systems is a result of biomass appliances being considered an energy efficiency device instead of a renewable energy system. Solar, wind and geothermal systems still enjoy the full 30 percent tax credit with no maximum and are not set to expire until 2016.

"This creates a terrible double standard for incentives between renewable energy systems favored and affordable by the wealthy and systems favored and affordable by average American families," said John Ackerly, president of the Alliance for Green Heat. "Fortunately, we understand that Congress will be revisiting these tax credits again in 2011 and advocates for cleaner and more efficient biomass appliances need to be prepared," he said. Instead of using tax credits based on a percentage of purchase and installation costs, Congress is likely to consider performance-based credits.

This report prepared by the Alliance for Green Heat.

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At NDL we would like you to know that along with our retailers we support our communities. With the help of our retailers, last year we provided $1600 dollars worth of toys for Toys for Tots in and around the Northeast. That is hundreds of toys!  And this year, again with the help of our retailers, we are providing hams to the local food banks in our communities. Our goal is 130 hams! The hearth shops of the Northeast will order the hams through NDL when they place their orders. 

NDL will match the amount of hams bought by the distributors. These holiday hams will then be distributed by the local food bank in your neighborhoods to families in need this holiday season. So if you are in the market for a fireplace, insert, or wood stove or any hearth accessories, let us connect you with the retailer in your area. By supporting  your local hearth retailer you are supporting you community. No one supports your neighborhood more during the holiday season than local, small businesses.

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Our fires are lit, and you surely remember the dry air inside your home from winters past. For the health of both your family and the wood furniture in your home, consider how you will humidify your home this winter. One of the most practical fireplace accessories on the market today is a wood stove steamer.

At NDL, we offer steamers in many shapes and sizes manufactured by Condar, Minuteman, Imperial and Last Waltz Clay Studio. These steamers come in styles that range from traditional teapots, to animal shapes, to hand-made and hand-glazed clay designs. With this many varieties and manufacturers, you are sure to find one to match your style. They are quite easy to use, just fill them with water and place it on the stove. You may also turn these steamers into aromatherapy solutions by adding potpourri, spices, or stove scents to the water. Once the steam begins to be released into your home, it not only becomes a room humidifier, but it will release the sweet smell of fragrance as well.

Wood stove steamer add decorative value to your home. Due to their unique shape and quality, just leave these decorative pieces on the wood burning stove for all to see. If you wish to add a unique touch to your home or you need extra humidity; a wood stove steamer is what you are looking for.

Of course, NDL offers a full range of fireplace accessories including fireplace glass doors, fireplace tool sets, chimney caps, and ash buckets. Let us direct you to the finest hearth dealer in your area. Contact us today.

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This winter, if you are having trouble keeping the cold at bay, consider adding a fireplace or fireplace insert to your home. Not only will you add comfort and atmosphere, you will add value to your home as well. A working hearth is considered a plus to home buyers, thus increasing the value of your home. Fireplaces and inserts can be fueled by natural gas, electricity, pellets, or wood and all these fuel sources have their advantages. Pellets and wood are considered renewable energy sources and are economical. But that is not all. Many fireplace inserts have a tax credit as well!

Gas and electric fireplaces and fireplace inserts are generally easier to use with less mess and effort. They are also very efficient and can be hooked up to a thermostat and remote. This way, you have constant heat which you can enjoy with the touch of a button. Whichever fuel source you choose to run your fireplace or insert, one thing is certain; working fireplaces add atmosphere and ambiance to any home. New home buyers love the idea of a working hearth and they make your home more enticing. If you are remodeling for your own enjoyment, a room with a burning fire adds a whole new dimension to entertaining.

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