Our Services

A wood insert installation, piece by piece

Wood inserts installed across Indian Mound Village after a free inspection by our family team.

Reading the label on an existing insert

Every listed insert carries a label with the maker, the model and the standard it was tested to. On an older insert the label may be faded, painted over or hidden behind the surround.

We find and read the label before recommending any work on an existing unit. When no label can be found, we explain what that means for service and replacement, and we never guess at clearances for a model we cannot identify. An insert we cannot identify is one we may recommend replacing rather than servicing, and we explain why in writing.

Listed liner parts that belong together

Stainless chimney liners are tested to UL 1777, the standard for chimney liners. A listed liner system comes as a set of parts, including the liner, the connector, the top plate and the cap, meant to work together.

We install the liner system as one set and do not mix parts from different makers. The system details are left with you after installation, so any future work can follow the same listing. If a liner part is ever replaced, the new piece should come from the same listed system, and our record tells you which one that is.

Finishing the liner at the chimney top

At the top of the chimney, the liner passes through a top plate that closes the old flue opening. One maker's instructions trim the plate to overlap the flue, fasten it to the liner, seal the gap with high-temperature silicone and finish with a rain cap.

Our installers complete that detail with the parts the liner system lists. A tight top plate keeps rain out of the old flue and keeps the warm liner centered, which protects both the insert and the chimney. We also check that the rain cap screen is clear and fastened before we come down from the roof.

A yearly inspection of the insert system

Under NFPA 211, chimneys, fireplaces and vents get an inspection every year covering soundness, deposits and clearances. It also calls for a more thorough inspection when a connected appliance is added or replaced and before a flue is relined. A yearly visit also catches a loose top plate or a worn gasket before either one affects a fire.

We offer maintenance visits that cover the liner, the top plate and cap, the door seal and the baffle each year. Any work a visit finds is priced in writing first.