Open-Fireplace to Insert Conversion

Thermodynamically, an open masonry fireplace is a net loss — it radiates a little heat into the room while pulling far more conditioned air up the chimney. Converting it to a sealed, high-efficiency insert flips that equation: the same fireplace becomes a genuine heat source that warms the room and stops bleeding your energy. We perform insert conversions to a premium standard — correctly sized appliance, fully lined positive-connection venting, and a finished install that performs exactly as the manufacturer intended.

The reason an open fireplace loses is simple: it's open. Combustion air and a huge volume of room air head up the flue, and most of a wood fire's heat rides along. A high-efficiency gas or wood insert is a sealed firebox that fits into the existing opening, pulling controlled combustion air and radiating and circulating far more of its heat back into the room. EPA-certified inserts reach efficiencies an open fire can't touch — but only if the appliance is installed correctly.

The liner is the make-or-break detail. An insert has to connect to a full-length, correctly sized liner running from the appliance outlet straight to the cap — a positive, continuous connection — so it vents safely and drafts as designed. A 'slammer' install that simply sets the insert in the opening with no connected liner spills combustion products and never performs to spec. We run an insulated stainless liner sized to the insert, make the positive connection, and terminate it properly at the top.

We size and select the appliance to the space and the fuel rather than to whatever's in stock. On gas inserts we make and leak-test the gas connection; on wood, we match the firebox and liner and get the clearances right. Then we finish the surround so the insert looks integrated — a flush, intentional install, not an appliance jammed into a hole. The payoff is comfort and economy at once: lower utility load, real warmth, and on wood inserts the ability to heat through an outage. We handle the permit and inspection and document the venting and any gas test.