To remove an electric fireplace insert, check for any connections holding the insert in place and remove them, and pull the electric insert out of where it currently sits until the electrical connection can be seen. Unplug the electric insert from the outlet and pull the electric insert out completely.

1) Check Connections

Depending on how you’re existing electric fireplace insert has been installed, you may need to remove any connections holding the insert in place.

This could be in the form of brackets and screws, but you’ll need to seek advice from the owner’s manual of the insert for advice on how it was originally installed.

Many electric fireplace inserts aren’t held in place by anything.

For example, our electric insert simply sits on the hearth of our existing fireplace and once it has been installed it doesn’t require any form of permanent connection.

We can therefore simply pull this electric insert towards us to remove it from the existing fireplace.

2) Remove Any Surrounds Or Back Panels

Electric fireplace inserts are often accompanied by a fireplace surround and/or back panel that may need to be removed before the electric fireplace can be removed.

A surround may have been installed over an electric fireplace insert to help keep it in place.

A fireplace surround is often held in place against a wall using brackets and screws. The locations of the brackets and screws for our old fireplace surround is shown below.

A fireplace surround may also be accompanied by a back panel, which covers the area between the surround and the insert.

Our old cast iron fireplace surround back panel is shown below as an example. This back panel simply came away from the wall when the surround and screws were removed.

In many cases you won’t need to remove a fireplace surround in order to remove an electric fireplace insert but we’ve covered how to remove a fireplace surround in more detail here if you need to.

3) Remove Any Trim

Electric fireplace inserts can often come with a trim that can be added before or after they have been installed to help them look more built-in and realistic.

Depending on your model of electric insert, you may need to remove this trim to access the main unit to have it removed.

The trim for our electric insert simply slides up from the main unit to be removed, but in our case doesn’t need to be removed for us to be able to remove the whole unit.

4) Partially Remove The Electric Fireplace Insert

Electric fireplace inserts can typically be removed by pulling the unit towards you out of whatever it has been placed within, such as an existing fireplace.

When removing an electric fireplace insert take into consideration that the unit is likely to be plugged into the electrics somewhere behind.

By partially removing the electric insert you can check to see where this electrical connection is.

For example, the power cord for our electric insert can be seen on the side of the back of the appliance when partially removed.

5) Unplug The Electric Insert

In order to fully remove an electric fireplace insert you’ll need to disconnect it from the electrics.

This can often be done by simply unplugging the fireplace from the electrical outlet that it’s plugged into.

In many cases, this electrical outlet will be located somewhere behind the unit (such as within the firebox of an existing fireplace).

If the electric fireplace is wired directly into the electrics, then you’ll need to have an electrician disconnect it for your before proceeding further.

6) Fully Remove The Electric Fireplace Insert

With an electric fireplace insert disconnected from the electrics, it can be fully removed.

An electric fireplace insert can typically be fully removed by sliding it out from where it was placed through the front.

Electric inserts will commonly have a front area that can be held and used to remove it, and have a larger back area that needs to be removed before the whole unit can be taken out.