Why DIY Fireplace Installation Is Not the Best Idea

As the cold winter months begin, many homeowners are considering whether or not to invest in a fireplace for their home. Though fireplaces have long been replaced by furnaces as the main heating source for homes, there's something about the ambience of the fireplace that makes the holiday season feel just a little bit more special.

If you're the type of person who enjoys doing things around the house, you may be tempted to install the fireplace by yourself. However, fire installation is extremely difficult to perform without the right tools and knowledge. Fireplace installation also comes with its own unique set of challenges that only professionals are familiar with.

Do You Know the Right Size?

If you already have a chimney in your home, you may think that it's a simple matter to install a new fireplace in your home and simply hook it up to the existing connection. Unfortunately, if you make the wrong connection to your chimney, you might end up creating a potentially dangerous situation. Gas fireplaces require different size chimneys than wood-burning fireplaces, and the amount of smoke and carbon monoxide are different as well. In addition, working on gas line installations may actually be a legal issue of certain permits, so unless you have those licenses, the last thing you should be doing is putting a gas fireplace installation in your home.

Do You Know How to Prepare Your Home?

Despite what you may see online and in advertisements, fireplace installation requires more prep work than simply buying it off the shelf and putting in your home. You need to make sure that the electric and gas hookups are installed correctly, as well as any added support so that it doesn't crush the flooring underneath. Professional technicians are familiar with the prep work since they repeat this process over and over, whereas the average homeowner may only attempt this job once or twice in their life.

Do You Know Your City's Legal Codes?

As with just about everything else in your home, fireplace installations need to meet certain legal requirements. These are put in place for your protection since faulty gas line installation can fill your home with carbon monoxide and cause injury or even death. Moreover, an incorrect fireplace installation will be flagged by a building inspector the next time you sell your home, which may result in you paying a professional to reinstall it anyway. No matter which way you slice it, it makes the most sense to have a fireplace installation performed by somebody who is familiar with the process.