Fireplace Services

Fireplace insert installation details for Markham homes

Repairs are found and priced before the insert goes in, never after.

An insert tested for solid fuel

Wood inserts are tested and listed to UL 1482, the safety standard for solid-fuel room heaters. The listing covers the insert as it was tested, with the clearances, the hearth protection and the connection its manual describes.

We install every insert to its listing and its manual, and we read that manual before the visit. If a unit has no listing mark or no matching manual, we tell you before the job goes ahead, since the instructions are what make a safe installation possible. Secondhand inserts deserve extra care, since a missing manual can make the correct clearances impossible to confirm.

A clean, clear flue first

One insert manual asks for the chimney to be suitable for wood and checked for buildup and obstructions before installation. Old nests, fallen debris and deposits left from years of open fires can all sit in the flue unseen.

We inspect the flue and, where it needs it, clean it before the liner goes in. The cleaning is priced separately in the written estimate, so you can see what the chimney needed and what the insert itself costs. Cleaning also lets us see the flue walls clearly before the liner goes in, so nothing is hidden behind it.

Sizing the liner to the insert

The insert's flue collar and its manual set the liner diameter. A liner that is too small can starve the fire of draft, and an oversized one can let the exhaust cool and move slowly up the chimney.

We take the size from the manual for your model, never from the old flue. If the chimney cannot fit the size the insert needs, we explain that before you buy, when changing the model is still simple. The liner diameter goes into the written record, so a future replacement starts from the right size.

Smoke alarms during the first fires

New insert paint cures during the first few fires and gives off an odor. One maker notes that smoke detectors may operate more often during that curing period and asks owners never to disconnect them, relocating one if it sits too close.

We explain the curing fires at handover and suggest opening a window during the first burns. Your alarms stay connected the whole time. The odor fades as the paint finishes curing over those first fires.