Fireplace Insert Installation in Los Angeles, CA

Will an insert fit my existing fireplace?

That is the first question, and it turns on measurements. Shallow period fireboxes in pre-1930 bungalows and Spanish-style homes were built for looks, not depth. Rumford boxes slope steeply at the back. Many inserts will not seat. We measure firebox width at the front and the back, height at the lintel, and depth at the floor. Hearth extension matters too. So does the damper frame, which usually has to come out.

The liner is the other half of the job. An insert vents through a continuous stainless liner run from the appliance to the top of the stack. Clay tile liners from the 1920s through the 1950s are often cracked or offset after decades of earthquakes. Unlined brick chimneys need the full run regardless. Multiple-flue stacks in period-revival houses complicate routing. The wrong flue gets chosen more often than people think.

Factory-built metal fireboxes are a different animal. Most are listed for a specific insert, or none at all. Dropping a wood insert into a prefab chase without that listing is not something we will do.

Gas inserts need a line with capacity, a sealed direct-vent path, and clearance at the termination. We video-scan the flue before quoting anything.