A fireplace insert - with the lift-up or side-hinged door? Which to choose from?

If you take a decision to have a fireplace in your home, you are bombarded with plenty of alternatives offered by a market. There are a lot of solutions to choose from. However, the most important aspect is to select a fireplace which is characterised not only by its aesthetic values, but which is functional and indefectible as well. One of the most frequent dilemmas potential fireplace owners have to face is to decide on the best insert. The most popular types are the ones with the lift-up door and the with side-hinged door. Besides, there are inserts with a sliding door. Does the way we open the insert really matter?

Pluses and minuses of the inserts with the lift-up doors.

A fireplace insert with a lift-up door has got a lot of benefits. It is a perfect solution:
  • for lovers of modern design and eye-catching signature solutions,
  • it guarantees an easy and sleek door-opening and seems to be more captivating,
  • you can select the door, in the form of a huge heat-proof glass, which can measure even 100 x 120 cm,
  • some models are equipped with self-cleaning systems.

Unfortunately, such solutions have their drawbacks. The fireplace inserts with the lift-up door are more expensive than those with side-hinged door. Additionally, they are more defective and the process of cleaning the glass is more complicated. A lot of producers require an annual maintenance of the entire insert, in order to check the condition of lift-up mechanisms, which are the weak point of the whole system. Statistically, the glass in the mechanisms, which are lifted up, crack more frequently than the ones which are side-hinged.

Pluses and minuses of the inserts with the side-hinged door.

This solution has a lot of advantages:• it’s an ideal solution for those who like classics,

  • it’s an ideal solution for those who like classics,
  • it’s easy to clean,
  • it’s failure-free,
  • it’s affordable.

However, if you decide on this option, you have to bear in mind that in the case of a side-hinged door version, a big-sized door made of huge heat-proof glass is out of question. It’s hard to say explicitly, which solution is better. Both of these fireplace inserts have their own advantages and disadvantages. You have to opt for the solution which best satisfies your needs and which best comes up to your expectations. The style of inserts also plays an important role and has an influence on the character of the interior. The lift-up version will be an ideal choice in modern interiors while the side- hinged door complements classics interiors more.