Hi, I am a newbie. looking to get a fireplace insert

[jaychino415]

Does anyone heat with one in Northern California? I have been looking at the Lopi Freedom insert. Just went to a few local dealers. Apparently, they run about 4.1k for a unit installed with stainless steel sectional liners, not a flex liner. They told me it would cost more. And one of the dealers told me you don't need to have your chimney swept prior to doing install. That made me worried since flue temperatures can reach 600°+. Can't that ignite any residual creosote still left in the flue? Plus, I think they quoted me for single walled pipe. Can someone give me some advice?

 

[ironworker]

I have one and I am very happy with it, cost about $5000.

 

[Jon1270]

Apparently, they run about 4.1k for a unit installed with stainless steel sectional liners, not a flex liner. They told me it would cost more.

I don't follow you here. Do you mean that local prices are higher than what you've read about online? That wouldn't be surprising, since you live in a very expensive city. Where real-estate is expensive, everything else is too.

Plus, I think they quoted me for single walled pipe.

Single-wall chimney liners are very common. I doubt it's a problem in your climate.

And one of the dealers told me you don't need to have your chimney swept prior to doing install.

People get away with all sorts of dumb stuff, but the chimney should to be clean before liner installation. Cutting a corner here is pound-foolish, not only for safety reasons but because if you start getting odd smells in the house because junk in the chimney is getting heated up, you'll have to pull the insert and liner back out to get it clean.

 

[Heatsource]

And one of the dealers told me you don't need to have your chimney swept prior to doing install. That made me worried since flue temperatures can reach 600°+. Can't that ignite any residual creosote still left in the flue?

yes, i've seen it happen a few times

and yes, tons of people in N.Cal heat with wood inserts.
but not a ton of west coast members here for some reason.

 

[begreen]

The installation is infrastructure. Do it well and it will serve you safely. Do it poorly and you will likely have problems at some point down the road.

1) absolutely get the chimney cleaned and inspected.
2) liners are mostly all single wall. single wall rigid is usually better if it can be installed. this depends on the amount of room they have to work with. (ie the clay tile inside dimensions) the main question here is whether the liner gets insulated or not. if the chimney tiles are flawed, insulate. if this is an exterior chimney, insulate. if this is a short chimney, insulate. when in doubt, insulate.
3) get multiple quotes and use a certified chimney sweep. you can find them by typing in your zip code on these sites: www.ncsg.org and www.csia.org.

 

[Caruso293]

I had the Lopi Freedom bay installed this fall. The freedom bay is slighter larger and slightly more expesive. ours was 4,300 installed. It was a single wall liner and the people who installed swept the chimney prior to instalation. i would not have done it otherwise. The unit itself is very nice and produces some serious heat. Its my first year burning and I have a lot to learn. There is a very large learning curve. So to answer your quesiton, 4100 seems on par with the research I did last year. Good luck

 

[jaychino415]

Thanks everyone for the advice and comments. I will definitely have them clean the chimney once I decide to pull the trigger.