Fireplace insert installation matched to your Johnson Village firebox

A stainless liner from the collar to the top

The flue path most wood insert makers prefer is a stainless steel liner running unbroken from the insert collar to the top of the chimney. Pacific Energy rates a full liner as the safest way to install and credits it with a proper draft, so the fire starts easily and smoke does not roll out when the door opens.

A full liner also sizes the flue to the insert rather than to the original open fireplace, whose flue was built to carry a far larger stream of air. Your written estimate lists the liner, the connector at the bottom and the closure at the top as separate lines with upfront pricing.

No chiseling into the fireplace to make a unit fit

Insert manuals warn against removing bricks or mortar from an existing fireplace. The exception in the Pacific guide is narrow: masonry or steel at the smoke shelf and the damper frame may come out to accommodate a liner, provided the structure is not weakened and protection for nearby combustibles is not reduced.

If a model only fits by cutting into the firebox walls, it is the wrong model for that fireplace. Our specialists would rather say so during the visit than weaken the masonry that separates your fire from the framing behind it.

Old glass doors, grates and screens come out

An insert needs the bare opening. Existing glass doors, a grate, andirons and a mesh screen are removed so the insert and its surround can seat against the fireplace face.

We remove those pieces carefully and leave them with you unless you ask us to take them. If the old doors were bolted into the masonry, the anchor holes are dealt with so the surround covers a clean edge. The bare firebox is then cleaned before the new unit goes anywhere near it.

How an insert estimate should read

A clear insert estimate separates the unit, the liner and its connector, the top plate and cap, the surround, any hearth extension, any fireplace repairs, any electrical work by an electrician and the removal of old parts.

Every line carries upfront pricing with no hidden fees, so you can see where the money goes and compare our proposal fairly with anyone else's. Book within 72 hours after the inspection and 10% off is applied right on the estimate.

• Insert model and surround size
• Liner type, size and length
• Top plate, rain cap and any cap change
• Hearth or floor protection work
• Repairs found at the inspection
• Removal and haul-away of old parts