Fireplace Services
Wood insert installation from chimney top to hearth
Repairs are found and priced before the insert goes in, never after.
Models made only for masonry fireplaces
Some inserts are approved only for masonry fireplaces. The Regency manual cited on our insert service page permits that model in a suitable masonry fireplace and excludes factory-built fireplaces.
That restriction belongs to one model, and other makers set different rules. We check the instructions for the insert you actually want and confirm what kind of fireplace you have before recommending the pairing. If your fireplace is factory-built, we point you toward inserts whose manuals allow that pairing and explain the conditions each one sets. That saves you from falling for a model the fireplace cannot take.
Inserts in factory-built fireplaces
Where an insert maker allows a factory-built fireplace, the conditions are strict. One maker calls for a full stainless liner rated Type HT to UL 1777, attached at the collar and at the chimney top, with the fireplace's airflow and louvers left unaltered.
The same manual allows only the removable external trim and the damper to come out of the factory-built unit, with the trim kept for reassembly. We confirm those conditions against the fireplace label before the job is priced, and we decline the work when they cannot be met.
Locking open or removing the old damper
Once the liner passes through the throat, the old damper has no job left. The manual we follow asks for the damper to be locked open or removed, so it can never close against the liner.
We do whichever your model's instructions allow and your fireplace needs. The change is noted in the written record of the installation, so a future sweep or inspector knows why the damper looks the way it does. A loose damper plate could shift against the liner, so we secure it or remove it before the liner is connected.
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.
