Our Services
Fitting the insert, the liner and the hearth
When the schedule allows, we inspect the same day in Whites Landing and explain the plan at the fireplace.
Leaving the firebox structure alone
It can be tempting to chip away brick to make room for a larger insert. The manual we follow does not allow bricks or mortar to be removed, apart from the smoke shelf and the damper frame, and only when the structure is not weakened and the protection from combustibles is not reduced.
We choose an insert that fits the fireplace as built. When the model you want needs more room than the fireplace offers, we recommend a smaller model, since cutting the firebox to fit is not an option the manual allows.
Chimney height and draft
Draft depends partly on how tall the chimney is. Two insert manuals we reference set a minimum height of 15 feet, and one of them also sets a maximum of 33 feet for its model.
We measure from the insert location to the chimney top and compare the figure with the manual for the model you want. When the chimney falls outside its range, we explain the options before any insert is ordered. A chimney outside the range can leave some models hard to start or slow to draft, so the height check comes before the purchase.
Room air or outside air
An insert can take its combustion air from the room or from outside. One maker allows outside air through the old ash clean-out, fitted with a rodent screen and paired with a sealed surround, or room air with the surround left unsealed, and it asks installers to check local codes.
We recommend the arrangement your model allows and your fireplace suits. The choice is written into the estimate, because it changes how the surround is fitted. If outside air is part of the plan, we check the old ash clean-out for a clear path and fit the rodent screen the manual calls for.
Dry, seasoned wood
EPA advises burning only dry, split wood that has seasoned for at least six months, and checking it with a moisture meter. It also suggests keeping the woodpile outdoors, raised off the ground, with a cover over the top only.
Wet wood wastes heat, dirties the glass and leaves more deposits in the liner. We explain the moisture check at handover and suggest how to stack wood so it dries between deliveries. A covered stack in open air dries faster than wood packed into a closed shed.
