Fireplace Inserts & Stoves · Bellevue · Eastside WA
Fireplace inserts and stoves.
Gas inserts, pellet inserts, wood stoves — the range of options for Eastside homes with existing masonry. We install and service them all.
The two decisions
Form factor,
then fuel.
Decision one is form: insert or freestanding stove. If you have an existing firebox — masonry or prefab — an insert almost always makes more sense. It slides into the opening, uses the existing chimney structure, and keeps the wall composition intact. A stove makes sense when there’s no firebox and you want to add heat to a room from scratch.
Decision two is fuel: gas, wood, or pellet. Gas runs on your existing line, lights with a switch, and needs little maintenance. Wood delivers the authentic fire experience with real logs. Pellet is the automated middle ground — bagged fuel, programmable thermostat, no gas line required. Each has a place on the Eastside depending on your home, your gas service, and how much you want to interact with the fire.
01
Gas insert
Existing firebox + gas service. Sealed combustion, thermostat control, minimal maintenance. Most popular Eastside choice.
02
Wood insert
Existing firebox + cord wood. EPA Phase 2-certified. Authentic fire, PNW-compliant, no gas line needed.
03
Pellet insert
Existing firebox + bagged pellets. Automated auger feed, programmable heat, works where gas extension is costly.
04
Freestanding stove
No firebox needed. Gas or wood. New hearth pad + venting path. Good for rooms without any existing fireplace structure.
Napoleon Oakville X4 — traditional log display, dual burner, 30,000 BTU
Most popular on the Eastside
Gas fireplace
inserts.
A gas insert is a sealed-combustion appliance that slots into an existing masonry or prefabricated firebox. It draws combustion air in and exhausts gases out through a co-linear stainless liner run up the existing chimney — no open flue, no draft problems, no cold air coming in when the fire’s off. You get real radiant and convective heat into the room, with flame control from a wall switch, remote, or thermostat.
Gas inserts work best when you have gas service at the house and an existing firebox that isn’t doing anything useful. The install is faster than a new gas fireplace build because the chimney structure is reused — the firebox becomes the appliance housing and the existing flue becomes the vent path.
Brands we install
Heat & Glo
Escape (contemporary linear, 30″ or 35″) · SupremeX (log-fire wrap flame) · Supreme (classic, three widths) · Cosmo (modernist clean face)
Napoleon
Oakville X4 (dual burner, triple flame, traditional) · Rosedale 3 (massive viewing area, 25,000 BTU)
Mendota
FV44i FireIn (large opening, oak or birch HD logs) · FV33i Décor (compact, 30% wider view than competitors)
Valor
H5 series (radiant-dominant, excellent for zone heating) · L1 linear (contemporary ribbon flame)
Lopi Large Flush NexGen-Hybrid™ — EPA Phase 2-certified, catalytic hybrid combustion, up to 80% efficiency
Real fire, PNW-compliant
Wood-burning
inserts.
A wood-burning insert is an EPA-certified firebox that slides into your existing masonry opening and connects to the flue via a stainless steel liner. Modern catalytic and hybrid-combustion designs burn significantly cleaner and more efficiently than a traditional open wood fireplace — the same cord of wood produces dramatically more heat and far less particulate.
On the Eastside, all new wood-burning appliances must be EPA Phase 2-certified under Puget Sound Clean Air Agency rules. We install Lopi NexGen-Hybrid and NexGen-Fyre inserts — among the cleanest available, with the NexGen-Hybrid’s catalytic combustor pushing efficiency above 80% and keeping particulates well below the Phase 2 threshold.
Models we install
-
Lopi Large Flush NexGen-Hybrid™ Rectangular
Catalytic hybrid, up to 80%+ efficiency. Rectangular door, large viewing area, fits most standard masonry openings. Made in Mukilteo, WA.
-
Lopi Answer NexGen-Hybrid™
Compact version for smaller fireboxes. Same hybrid catalyst technology. Good for Craftsman and mid-century homes with narrower openings.
-
Lopi Large Flush NexGen-Fyre™
Non-catalytic, EPA Phase 2. Simpler maintenance, still significantly more efficient than an open firebox.
PNW smoke rules
Puget Sound Clean Air Agency calls Burn Check Action Days on still winter days when particulates spike. On those days, non-certified or older wood appliances cannot be operated. EPA Phase 2-certified inserts — like every unit Prime installs — remain legal year-round.
Regency GFI55 — medium pellet insert, top-feed auger, up to 42,000 BTU, programmable thermostat
Automated heat, no gas line
Pellet
inserts.
A pellet insert burns compressed wood pellets fed by an automated auger from a hopper built into the unit. You load the hopper with bagged pellets (available at hardware stores and home improvement centers across the Eastside), set a thermostat, and the insert manages its own heat output. No cord wood, no gas line — just electricity to run the auger, blower, and controls.
Pellet inserts are the right choice when a gas line extension to the fireplace location would be expensive or disruptive, and you don’t want the ongoing effort of managing cord wood. They produce genuine radiant heat and are EPA Phase 2-compliant. The tradeoff: they need electricity to operate (a UPS is worth it in PNW outages), and the ash pan and burn pot need routine cleaning — typically weekly in heavy use seasons.
Models we install
Regency GFI55
Medium pellet insert. Top-feed auger, 42,000 BTU max output, large viewing area, programmable thermostat. Fits most standard masonry openings.
Regency GCI60
Cast-iron pellet insert for a traditional hearth aesthetic. Comparable BTU output, cast-iron door frame, integrated convection blower.
Pellet vs. gas: the honest trade-off
If you already have gas service at the fireplace location, gas almost always wins on convenience and maintenance simplicity. Pellet makes sense when gas extension is expensive (>20 ft of new piping or crossing floor joists), or when you prefer the fuel source to be renewable and locally sourced.
No existing firebox required
Freestanding
stoves.
A freestanding stove is a self-contained heating appliance that stands on its own hearth pad rather than inside an existing firebox. The venting runs up through an existing chimney via a liner, or directly through the wall or roof via a direct-vent penetration. Stoves are the right tool when a room has no fireplace at all and you want to add a significant heat source without the scope of building new masonry.
Gas stoves
Switch-controlled heat without the firebox.
Gas stoves connect to the gas line, vent via a direct-vent pipe through an exterior wall or roof, and sit on a code-required hearth pad. They’re a clean, low-maintenance way to add serious heat output to a room without a masonry structure. We install Napoleon and Heat & Glo gas stoves in traditional and contemporary forms — from cast-iron traditional to sleek modern pedestals.
- —Requires gas line and direct-vent penetration
- —Hearth pad required (stone, tile, or brick; minimum UL-listed dimensions)
- —No chimney needed — direct-vent pipe runs through wall or ceiling
- —Mechanical permit + gas piping permit required on Eastside
Wood stoves
The original zone heater.
A wood stove delivers the highest raw heat output of any solid-fuel appliance and can heat large open areas effectively with cord wood. We install Lopi Cape Cod and Endeavor stoves — EPA Phase 2-certified and built in Mukilteo, WA, which means local parts availability and straightforward service support on the Eastside. Venting runs via a class-A chimney pipe through the ceiling and roof, or connects to an existing flue with a liner.
- —EPA Phase 2-certified required in Puget Sound region
- —Hearth pad required; minimum clearance to combustibles per manufacturer
- —Class-A chimney pipe or existing lined flue required
- —Solid-fuel appliance permit required on Eastside
Common questions
Inserts &
stoves,
answered.
Related
Next decisions.
Gas insert installation
The brand-personality guide and install process for gas inserts specifically — what Prime does from design conversation to inspection.
Gas fireplace installation
New installs for Eastside homes — design-led, permit-pulled, code-compliant from day one.
Insert vs. new gas fireplace
The one-question decision tree — when an insert is the right path and when a full new installation makes more sense.
Free in-room walkthrough · Bellevue, Kirkland, Redmond
Pick the type.
Plan the room.
We come to the space, measure the firebox or assess the room for a stove, walk through fuel-type and brand options, and put a fixed written estimate together. No pressure, no canned pitch.