Fireplace Services
Inside an electric fireplace installation
A clean room when we leave, a workmanship warranty and no hidden fees.
A grounded outlet of the right type
One maker's plug-in firebox manual calls for a properly grounded outlet of the same configuration as the plug, with no adapter and no change to the plug itself. A two-prong outlet or a loose receptacle does not meet that instruction.
Our team checks the outlet the unit will use before mounting anything. If the outlet is the wrong type or shows wear, we note it in the estimate, and an electrician replaces it before the fireplace is connected. The unit goes in only when the outlet matches its manual.
An opening that carries no weight
The built-in manual we reference says the fireplace is not load-bearing and that the framing should keep building materials from pressing on the top of the unit. A header above the opening takes the weight of the wall and of anything mounted on it.
When we frame a recess, the header and the side studs carry the wall, and the unit sits free inside the opening. That keeps the case straight, the glass unstressed and the unit removable if it ever needs service.
A dry opening for the insert
The same firebox manual warns against installing the unit in an opening prone to dampness. Water that reaches an old firebox can come down the flue through a missing cap or a damaged chimney top, and it lands right where the insert's electrics would sit.
Before an insert is recommended, the firebox floor and walls get checked for water marks. If the chimney is letting water in, we explain the repair and price it separately, so the source is fixed before the new unit goes in.
Manuals that differ on bathrooms
Two manuals from the same maker give different answers on bathrooms. The plug-in firebox is not for bathrooms, laundry areas or similar rooms, while the built-in linear unit may be installed in a bathroom when it has ground-fault protection and stays away from the shower and tub.
That difference is why we read the manual for your model before agreeing to a location. If the unit is not suited to the room you picked, we say so and suggest either another model or another room.
