Insert Installation Tips (Help)

[thechief]

Good Afternoon Everyone,

I’m looking to surprise my dad for his retirement this upcoming fall. He currently burns wood with a 30 year old WoodCraft insert which is non-EPA and doesn’t have glass doors. When looking at it before the Christmas break I took off the decorative faceplate and found the stove has only about an inch of clearance around it to the brick on all three sides. My question is, how in the world would you hook up the existing stainless chimney liner to a new insert having no room to work with from around the insert? My dimensions of the open fireplace brick to brick are 26”W x 22 1/4”H and approx 12” in depth. The regency insert I’m looking at has dimensions of 23w x 19.6h x 14d. At 2.25” clearance from top of the insert to the brick, how do you hook up the chimney? I’m looking for all information I can obtain regardless of nature to see how this is done. Any pointers to installation with picture or video websites would be greatly appreciated. Will the Regency put off more heat than the ol’ WoodCraft? It actually does a pretty good job all things considering. Thanks again fellas!

 

[kd460]

My insert has a removable flue collar that is installed and removed from the inside of the insert.

Stainless liner inside chimney, flu collar is attached to the liner before the insert is slid into the fireplace.

Then, I secure the collar by tightening a single bolt that is suspended into the middle of the collar. Simple to do, uses a kaowool (ceramic fiber) gasket.

To see what I mean, my model is the enviro kodiak 1700 insert. You can google that and an install manual can be veiwed on their website. Good luck. KD

 

[K.C.]

Just my opinion and talking from personal experience - a wood stove has the ability to keep your family warm and comfortable but also has the capability to cause serious harm to your house and family. That said, I felt it best to have a professional install my Lopi insert. I sleep better at night knowing that my insert was set up, installed and tested by a guy who has installed hundreds of stoves, is up on all the newest codes & regs and had it done in way less time than I could have possibly completed the project in. It really did not cost that much, either.

My recommendation would be to check with your local fireplace shops to see if they can help you out with a professional installer. Your insurance company will love you for it as well!

 

[Wife'nHubby]

When installing any stove or insert find do some research first to find out how to clean the chimney once the stove or insert is in place. The ideal insert or stove should remain in place for cleaning. Some inserts require they be moved forward in order to clean the liner - that gets old REAL quick.

Shari