A fireplace and stove installer puts gas, wood and pellet fireplaces, inserts and stoves into customers' homes, runs the venting, and fires each unit for the first time. They also take service calls on what the showroom sold, and they work from the maker's manual on every job.
By the HireBus team · Updated · Pay data: BLS, May 2025
Median pay, other building equipment contractors · BLS, May 2025
Responsible for the efficient installation and repair of fireplaces, stoves, and vents, ensuring high-quality workmanship and safety standards. Plays a critical role in enhancing customer satisfaction by delivering reliable service and diagnostics. Contributes to the company's reputation for excellence within the home services industry. Acts as a subject matter expert on system setup and integration, promoting long-term customer loyalty.
2. Essential Duties and Responsibilities
Install fireplaces, stoves, and venting systems according to manufacturer guidelines and industry standards.
Conduct routine maintenance, repairs, and basic diagnostic checks on installed units.
Ensure all work complies with safety regulations and local building codes.
Provide professional, courteous service to customers and address concerns promptly.
3. Key Tasks / Daily Activities
Inspect work sites to assess setup requirements and develop installation plans.
Handle installation tasks, including assembling, wiring, and testing equipment.
Interact with customers to explain installation processes and post-installation care.
Maintain accurate records of service calls, repairs, and material usage.
4. Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)
First-Time Installation Success Rate: >95%.
Customer Satisfaction Rating: >4.8 stars.
Callback Percentage: <5%.
Job Completion Time: Average installation within 3 hours per unit.
5. Required Qualifications and Skills
High school diploma or equivalent; technical training in appliance installation preferred.
Minimum of 2 years of experience in installation or repair of fireplaces, stoves, or similar equipment.
Strong technical and diagnostic skills with the ability to interpret blueprints and technical manuals.
Excellent communication and customer service skills.
6. Preferred Experience
Experience in the home services or construction industry, particularly with heating appliances.
Familiarity with local and national safety standards and building codes related to fireplace and stove installations.
Previous work experience with reputable installation companies.
Proven track record in meeting or exceeding performance metrics and KPIs.
7. Physical Requirements
Ability to lift up to 50 lbs. consistently during installations.
Frequent bending, climbing, and working in confined spaces required.
Standing for extended periods throughout the workday.
Operate hand and power tools safely and effectively in various weather conditions.
8. Work Environment and Schedule
Typical work hours: Monday through Friday, 8 AM to 5 PM with occasional weekend assignments.
Occasional travel regionally to various job sites is required.
On-call duties may be assigned for emergency service calls.
Work may involve exposure to outdoor elements and variable weather conditions.
9. Compensation and Benefits
Hourly rate: $20 - $30 per hour, based on experience and qualifications.
Performance-based bonuses available for high customer satisfaction and efficiency metrics.
Comprehensive Health, Dental, and Vision insurance plans provided.
401(k) plan with company match and additional fringe benefits.
10. Company Culture and Overview
Driven by a commitment to quality service and continuous improvement within the home services industry.
Fosters a supportive, collaborative atmosphere that values growth and professional development.
Emphasizes innovation and safety in all aspects of operations.
Invests in training programs to help employees excel and reach their full potential.
11. How to Apply
If you meet the above criteria and want to be part of a growth-oriented company focused on customer satisfaction, please send your resume to [INSERT EMAIL HERE] or apply online at [INSERT WEBSITE LINK HERE].
Need help filling this role? HireBus posts the ad, Iris interviews every applicant by phone before you do, and you decide who to hire. Start hiring now
What makes fireplace and stove installation different
Installers in other trades hang a product and leave. A hearth installer leaves a working fire in someone's living room, so the venting, the clearances and the first burn matter more than the trim.
Wood and pellet stoves carry EPA limits
EPA's standards for new residential wood heaters set particle pollution limits for new wood stoves, pellet stoves and some other wood heaters. They don't touch heaters already in homes or units fueled only by gas, oil or coal, and EPA left new indoor fireplaces out because typical fireplaces aren't effective heaters. Installers should be able to tell a customer which units on the showroom floor the rule covers. Source: EPA: New Source Performance Standards for residential wood heaters.
Gas work may need its own license
Gas units bring piping, valves and burners, and each state decides who may work on them. New Hampshire, for one, licenses fuel gas fitters by specialty. One specialty is the hearth system installation and service technician, for propane and natural gas hearth appliances and their venting, and a licensee may do only the work their specialty covers. Look up your state's rule before an installer runs gas line or services a valve. Source: New Hampshire RSA 153:27: Fuel gas fitter definitions.
Carbon monoxide is part of the handoff
A gas, wood or pellet unit that is vented wrong or short of air can put carbon monoxide into the house. The CPSC tells consumers to install CO alarms on every level and outside sleeping areas, and says interconnected alarms are best. A careful installer checks for alarms at startup and tells the homeowner if any are missing. Source: CPSC: Carbon Monoxide Information Center.
The manual sets the clearances
Each listed fireplace or stove comes with installation instructions and a label that give its clearances to walls, mantels and floors, and its floor protection. CSIA's inspection procedure sends sweeps to that manual or label for listed units; for unlisted ones it points to local code, which normally asks for 36 inches to anything combustible. Installers bring the manual to every job and check it against the local code. Source: CSIA standard operating procedure: Level 1 inspection of a masonry chimney.
Three fuels, three skill sets
A gas insert is mostly venting, gas fittings and ignition controls. A pellet stove adds an auger, fans and a control board that need power. A wood stove needs a hearth pad and often a new chimney through the roof. One installer may do all three in a week, so training runs by fuel and by brand.
How much fireplace and stove installers make
The closest BLS group for fireplace and stove installers is heating, air conditioning, and refrigeration mechanics and installers. Heating, air conditioning, and refrigeration mechanics and installers who work for other building equipment contractors earned a median of $29.65 an hour ($61,660 a year) in May 2025, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. That’s about the same as the $61,010 median for heating, air conditioning, and refrigeration mechanics and installers in all industries. About 560 of the 409,670 heating, air conditioning, and refrigeration mechanics and installers in that survey work for other building equipment contractors.
Hourly pay with overtime. The template's bonuses reward customer ratings and efficiency; if speed earns a bonus, count callbacks in the same bonus, or installs will get faster and worse.
Other building equipment contractors
$61,660$61,660 median Middle half $60,260–$78,030 10th–90th $40,670–$87,980
All industries
$61,010$61,010 median Middle half $48,360–$77,060 10th–90th $40,050–$95,210
$30k$40k$50k$60k$70k$80k$90k$100k$110k
10th–90th percentileMiddle halfMedianAnnual pay, May 2025. Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics.
Annual pay by percentile
Group
10th
25th
Median
75th
90th
Other building equipment contractors
$40,670
$60,260
$61,660
$78,030
$87,980
All industries
$40,050
$48,360
$61,010
$77,060
$95,210
BLS doesn’t publish pay for fireplace and stove installers on their own. These figures cover other building equipment contractors, which include them. Post a real range for your market in the ad.
The pay line in the template above is an example from our Role Blueprint. Set yours from these figures and what local companies pay.
Skills to hire for, and what you can teach
Hire for these
Reads an install manual front to back and follows its clearance and venting tables exactly
Plans a vent route through walls, attics and roofs, with every part on the truck, before cutting
Leak tests gas connections and runs a full startup before leaving
Moves heavy stoves and inserts into homes without marking floors, doorways or the unit
Shows the homeowner how to light, run and clean the unit
Teach these on the job
Each brand and model line you sell
Pellet stove controls and auger setup
Your startup checklist and photo record
Service work: glass, gaskets, ignition parts and annual cleanings
NFI exam prep for gas, woodburning or pellet
Installers use appliance dollies or stair climbers, drills and hole saws, a reciprocating saw, a manometer and leak detector for gas, a multimeter, and ladders and roof fall gear for venting runs. Most companies log each job in a field app with photos of the clearances and the data plate. Your ad should say whether the truck, lifting gear and gas test tools come with the job.
Fireplace and stove installer interview questions
Two of the 6 questions we'd ask, and what a strong answer sounds like. Ask every candidate the same questions, and rate each answer on your own before you compare notes.
Situational · Catching a flue that doesn't fit
You arrive for an insert install and find the existing flue is much larger than the insert's outlet, with no liner. What do you do?
A strong answer: Stops, explains to the customer that a liner sized to the insert is needed, calls the office for a change order and doesn't install it as-is.
Behavioral · Learning from callbacks
Tell me about a stove or fireplace you installed that came back with a problem, like smoke spilling into the room or a failed inspection. What did you change in how you work?
A strong answer: Owns the cause, such as a vent run with too many elbows or a manifold pressure never checked, and names a specific change, like a draft or pressure check before leaving every job.
Group installs by type before comparing anyone. A direct-vent gas insert and a wood stove with a new chimney through the roof fill very different days, and one target won't fit both.
First-Time Installation Success Rate
Installs that pass startup, your quality check and any local inspection on the first try, divided by all installs. A failed inspection or a second trip to fix venting counts as a miss.
Customer Satisfaction Rating
Average survey and review score on this installer's jobs. Read the notes for scuffed floors, dust left behind, and any sign the homeowner still isn't sure how to light the unit.
Callback Percentage
Return visits caused by the install, such as a pilot that won't stay lit, a vent leak or a loose surround, out of all installs in your callback window. Track part failures on a separate line.
Job Completion Time
Time on site per install, from arrival to the homeowner's sign-off. Compare like with like: inserts with inserts, freestanding stoves with freestanding stoves.
Career path
Apprentice / helperMoves units, preps the site and assembles venting for an installer.
InstallerInstalls gas, wood and pellet units and handles service calls.
Lead installerRuns the crew, visits sites first and checks every install.
NFI certification comes from a nonprofit institute, not a government agency. NFI, the National Fireplace Institute, certifies specialists in gas, woodburning and pellet appliances, and in hearth design. Each certification is good for three years. Holders renew by passing the exams again or by earning 24 continuing education credits for a single certification. The template doesn't ask for it, which makes it a good first-year goal. Gas work may also need a state license.
How much does a fireplace and stove installer make?
Heating, air conditioning, and refrigeration mechanics and installers who work for other building equipment contractors earned a median of $29.65 an hour ($61,660 a year) in May 2025, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The middle half earned between $60,260 and $78,030 a year. Pay also depends on your local market, experience and overtime.
What's the difference between an insert, a stove and a built-in fireplace?
An insert slides into an existing fireplace and vents up through that chimney, often with a new liner. A freestanding stove sits on a hearth pad and has its own vent or chimney. A built-in fireplace is framed into a wall, with its venting run through the house. Each has its own manual and its own install steps.
Can an HVAC technician install gas fireplaces?
Many pick it up quickly, since gas piping, venting, ignition controls and leak testing carry over. Wood and pellet stoves, chimney liners, hearth pads and clearance to a mantel will be new. Check whether your state's gas license covers hearth appliances for them, and have a lead watch their first few startups.
Should installers also run service calls?
The template says yes: routine maintenance, repairs and basic diagnostics on installed units are part of the job. Service keeps installers busy when install bookings dip after the heating season, and it shows them what fails when an install cuts corners. Start new hires on service for the brands they already install.
