Fireplace Insert Installation in Palos Hills, IL

Can an insert go into the fireplace I already have?

That depends on two things, and neither is the insert. First, the firebox. A factory-built Heatilator, Majestic or Superior box only accepts what its label allows. Second, the flue. A wood or pellet insert needs a continuous stainless liner from the appliance collar to the top of the chimney, sized to the collar, not to the old clay tile. Venting an insert into an open masonry flue is the mistake we find most often.

Measurements come before anything else. Width at the back of the firebox, depth, and the clear height at the damper opening. Many 1960s and 70s corbelled sidewall chimneys offset as they rise. A liner can hang up at that offset. Damper frames and smoke chamber steel often have to come out to get the connection straight.

Insulated liner and a sealed block-off plate matter on exterior brick chimneys here. Cold masonry on a north wall kills draft. Tight postwar houses with replacement windows may need a combustion air provision.

Direct-vent gas inserts run coaxial pipe up the flue and need a new termination, a gas line, and power for the blower.

If the crown is cracked or the flashing is leaking, that gets repaired first.