Marsh's Stoves & Fireplaces

After using a wood burning fireplace insert most evenings through the winter for about 25 years, my wife and I decided to switch to the convenience of gas. I contacted John from Marsh's Stoves and he came by our house to discuss our options for a gas insert. He recommended the Valor brand and we followed up with a visit to his showroom where Tony explained the options available.
We decided on the Valor G3 and discussed the price with John. He explained that all of his installers are licensed gas fitters so his installation fee may be higher than other companies but he has very few warranty issues. I got a quote from another local fireplace company that was a few hundred dollars higher so we placed our order with Marsh’s and booked an installation date.
Unfortunately due to covid, some parts were unavailable but Tyler and Luke arrived as scheduled and installed the exhaust gas liner in our masonry chimney as well as the gas line and main fireplace body. They wore masks, laid out tarps to avoid making a mess and worked smoothly to install the parts they had. The backordered parts meant that the fireplace was not useable but they assured me that we would be contacted when the parts arrived at their shop.
I called a couple of weeks later for an update and was assured that we weren’t forgotten but that we may have to wait a couple weeks more. I understood the situation but was obviously disappointed. Later in the day John called and suggested that he had enough spare parts from his display units to get our fireplace running temporarily if we didn't mind that it wouldn't look exactly the way we ordered it and we readily agreed.
Tony came a couple of days later to install the temporary parts and explain the features of the multi-function remote control. The fireplace worked well so now we weren’t concerned about when our actual parts would arrive. During this time, I checked on Valor’s website and noticed that we liked a different trim piece more than the one we had ordered. I emailed John to see if we could make a change and he was fine to accommodate us. I highly recommend using the “Customize This Fireplace” feature on Valor’s website to see the different options available to suit your style and décor. When the final parts arrived a couple of weeks later, we got a call saying that one of their installers would be passing nearby the next day so he came and exchanged them.
We have used the fireplace daily ever since and it works really well. Our house is a split level and the lower level with the kitchen and family room was always colder than the upstairs unless the wood fire was burning. Now we can get almost immediate heat and adjust the temperature simply by lowering the flame with the remote control. There is also a thermostat incorporated in the remote that can control the heat output by the actual temperature in the room. I cut, split, stacked and carried firewood for years and don’t regret it a bit but the convenience and flexibility of heating with this fireplace is amazing.
Incidentally, we had bought a nicer used wood insert to replace the original one but then decided to switch to gas so we didn’t end up installing it. When the Valor went in I needed several parts to get both wood inserts ready to sell. I got in touch with Rob at Marsh’s to order the parts. He worked tirelessly behind the scenes to get parts from two manufacturers for the wood inserts as well as parts from Valor and kept me updated on probable delivery dates.
In summary, the delays in getting our fireplace installed 100% as ordered were due to covid related supply chain issues and we had no option but to wait for parts. Despite this, the staff at Marsh’s went to great lengths to provide a temporary solution for the backordered parts so we could use our fireplace as soon as possible. They gave us updates on our part orders and each time they booked an appointment, they arrived as scheduled. Everyone we dealt with was courteous and professional and ultimately we ended up with a gas fireplace that we are extremely happy with.

Note that the fireplace came with a safety screen on the door. The photos show the fireplace after I removed the screen.