Expert: Steve Tavares - 10/17/2009

Question
Question:

We just purchased a Drolet fireplace wood stove insert for our brick fireplace. The company does not recommend professional installation however many reviews have suggested that we get a steel liner to attach to the stove that goes to the top of the chimney for maximum efficiency.
Is this something that we can do ourselves? We are getting the chimney cleaned before we install it and had part of our flu repaired last year at the top where there were broken tiles and loose brick. 1) how can we tell if we have a liner already? 2) if we don't can we install it ourselves safely? 3) if we can't install it and need a pro can u give me a realistic cost to expect? - any other advice is much appreciated!! thanks, molly

Answer
Well Molly, I would always suggest a professional installation.

There should always be a stainless steel liner connected to the insert that runs inside the chimney to the top of it. This is something that the homeowner can do but it should be WETT certified after the install to make sure everything was done right and to code.

I would expect a liner kit to cost somewhere in the neighborhood of $425.00 - $600.00, depending on how long of a liner kit you would need.

If you have a liner there already you would see a metal flexible duct (for lack of a better term) inside the fireplace and a metal chimney cap sitting on top of the chimney outside.

Hope this helps.