How We Verify Dealers

Every dealer on this site carries one of three labels. This page explains exactly what each one means, how we check it, and—just as importantly—what we do not claim.

We built this page because the honest version of our directory is more useful than a flattering one. A label that means nothing is worse than no label at all.

The three labels

Preferred 139 listings

An active WhyFire customer. They run our software, which means this site can show you their real pricing and let you book an appointment directly. We have a commercial relationship with these dealers: they pay for software, not for placement.

Authorized 2,066 listings

Matched against the dealer networks published by the brands we recommend—Valor, Blaze King, Renaissance, RSF, Empire, Barbara Jean, Osburn, Montigo, Enerzone and Valcourt. Where a dealer is matched, their card lists which of those brands they carry, so you can check the claim rather than take our word for it.

Listed 3,049 listings

A local business that carries hearth products, where we have not verified brand authorization. We show them because in much of the country they are the closest option—a building supply store in rural Alaska may be the only place within a hundred miles that sells a stove. We label them so you know what you are looking at.

How the matching works

Manufacturers publish the dealers authorized to sell their equipment. We match our directory against those lists by dealer identity and record which recommended brands each one carries. A match earns the Authorized label; no match leaves the listing as Listed.

We match on the manufacturer's list rather than on the business name, and that distinction matters. A shop called "Ace Hardware" or "Spenard Building Supply" reads like it has nothing to do with fireplaces—but in Kotzebue, Alaska, that building supply store is the authorized Blaze King dealer. Judging by name would have deleted real dealers from the places that need them most. The manufacturer's list is the evidence; the sign over the door is not.

What we do not claim

We do not verify licensing, insurance, or bonding.
We do not inspect or rate installation quality.
We do not verify pricing except where a dealer runs our software and quotes it here.
An Authorized label means a brand lists them as a dealer. It is not an endorsement of that business.
No manufacturer pays for placement, and no dealer pays for a lead.

Where the data comes from, and where it is weak

Dealer records are assembled from manufacturer dealer locators and public business listings. That means the directory inherits their errors: duplicate entries, businesses that have closed, phone numbers that have moved. We fix these as we find them.

If a page shows no dealers at all, it means none serve that area within our search radius. Those pages are excluded from search engines rather than presented as though we had an answer.

Found something wrong?

If you are a dealer and your listing is wrong, missing, or in the wrong tier—or if you would rather not be listed—tell us and we will correct it. That applies whether or not you are a WhyFire customer.

Counts as of 7 August 2026: 139 Preferred, 2,066 Authorized, 3,049 Listed—5,254 listings in total. Verification is re-checked as manufacturer dealer lists are refreshed.