Installing insert through 4" x 36" flue

It sounds to me like the damper. I had a similar damper and when I installed my insert I removed the damper plate and cut out part of the smoke shelf to make sure my 6 inch liner fit up into the flue. If you go up on your roof and look at your chimney, you'll see how big your flue opening is.

My damper was a similar size. My installer used a hammer drill and opened up the smoke shelf in order to run the liner. It took him maybe 20 minutes to do it. Maybe you need a different installer-this sounds pretty common from what I read around here.....A pain, but your insert is worth it, believe me.

I agree super common to have to enlarge opening to get a liner through. Its really not that bad. Yes a pain but its over pretty quick.

put it in without a liner. Its your home, you can do what you want with it.

At a bare minimum you should have a "direct connect" which is a pipe from the stove up into the chimney past the smoke shelf to the first row of flue tiles (plus a block-off plate at the damper). You're going to have to get past the damper to do that anyway, so from there it's just a matter of more liner up to the top. Installing an insert without a direct connect is a "slammer" install ("slam" it in there) and is risky as BeGreen noted above. Perhaps you can ovalize the liner to get it through the damper hole or get some kind of adapter that will fit through?

BeGreen said:

csierotnik said:

put it in without a liner. Its your home, you can do what you want with it.

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True, there are lots of risky things we can do. Would you still recommend this if that would substantially increase the risk of serious creosote accumulation, poor stove operation, smoke spillage and carbon monoxide in the house?

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I never recomended it, I just told him what he wanted to hear - he said he read through posts so he should know the risks.

A properly functioning insert will make you forget about the extra time or money it takes to do it right.....now on the other hand, you cut corners and the insert doesn't draft well--you'll be sorry every time you try to use it. Do it right!