The Day I Became a Checklist Believer
In my first year handling equipment orders—back in 2017—I processed a rush order for a Napoleon LEX 605 grill. Looked fine on my screen. Customer needed it for a grand opening. Two days later, the shipment arrived. Wrong color. I'd clicked 'stainless steel' instead of 'Black Porcelain'.
Sixteen units. $3,200 order. Every single one had the issue.
The redo cost $890 in expedited shipping plus a 1-week delay. The customer wasn't thrilled. My boss wasn't thrilled. I learned a hard lesson: 5 minutes of verification beats 5 days of correction.
Since that debacle—and a few others I'll share—I've maintained our team's checklist. We've caught 47 potential errors using it in the past 18 months, saving an estimated $8,000 in potential rework. Here it is, in 7 steps.
Who This Checklist Is For
This is for anyone ordering Napoleon products for resale, installation, or a project: dealers, contractors, builders. It's for the person who has to sign off on the PO. It's for the installer who doesn't want to explain to a homeowner why the fireplace insert doesn't fit.
Let's get into it.
The 7-Point Pre-Order Checklist
1. Confirm the Product Line and Series
This sounds obvious, but you'd be surprised. Napoleon has distinct lines: the Prestige series (grills), the LEX series, the Rogue series. In fireplaces, there's the Vector series, the Ascent series, the Luxuria series—each with different dimensions and venting requirements.
People assume a 'Napoleon grill' is a Napoleon grill. What they don't see is the difference in BTU output, cabinet depth, and available accessories between a Prestige 500 and a Rogue 425. I once ordered a Rogue 425 side burner for a Prestige 500. Didn't fit. The return process was a headache.
Action: Before you enter anything into the system, triple-check the model number against the project spec or the customer's existing setup. Not the series name. The specific model number.
2. Verify Fuel Type and Configuration
Natural gas or propane? This is another big one. A grill ordered for NG won't work out of the box for LP and vice versa. Most units can be converted, but it requires a conversion kit—and that's an extra cost and step.
For fireplaces, the question is even more critical: vented (B-vent, direct vent) or vent-free? The installation requirements are completely different. Direct vent uses a coaxial pipe to the outside; vent-free doesn't. You can't swap them after the fact.
I once ordered a direct vent fireplace insert when the site was configured for a B-vent. Didn't catch it until the installer was on-site. That delay cost me $450 in wasted labor and a 3-day production delay.
Action: Confirm the gas type and venting configuration in writing from the site supervisor or end customer. Don't rely on a verbal 'yeah, it's gas.'
3. Measure Twice for Fireplace and Insert Dimensions
This is where I see most mistakes, specifically with fireplaces and inserts. A Napoleon wood stove insert has specific height, width, and depth requirements. The rough opening needs to be within a certain tolerance.
It's tempting to think you can just compare the specs on the brochure. But the 'facing' dimensions (the finished look) are different from the 'framing' dimensions (what's behind the wall). Forgetting this can mean the unit doesn't fit, or it looks misaligned.
From the outside, it looks like a simple measure-check. The reality is you need to account for clearance to combustibles, the thickness of drywall and finishing materials, and the exact depth of the existing fireplace cavity if it's a retrofit. I keep a digital caliper and a notepad on site for this.
Action: Measure the opening at three different points (top, middle, bottom) for width and height. Fireplace openings aren't always perfectly square. Use the smallest measurement for your calculation, and subtract 1/2 inch for clearance.
4. Cross-Reference Accessories and Parts Compatibility
Napoleon has a huge ecosystem of accessories: rotisserie kits, warming racks, grill covers, fireback panels, fan kits for inserts, trim kits. This is great for upselling and getting the full setup, but it's also a minefield for compatibility errors.
Most people assume a 'Napoleon grill cover' will fit any Napoleon grill. That's not true. The cover for a Prestige 500 is a different size than the one for a Prestige 665. Same with the rotisserie kit—the motor bracket mounting points differ between series.
I can't tell you how many times I've seen someone order a 4-burner rotisserie kit for a 3-burner grill. It doesn't work.
Action: Use Napoleon's official 'Accessory Compatibility' page online. Check the model number of the base unit against the accessory. If you're ordering from a distributor, ask them to confirm compatibility in writing.
5. Inspect the Shipping Configuration (Pallet vs. LTL vs. Parcel)
This one isn't about the product spec—it's about how it gets to you. Napoleon grills, especially the larger Prestige and LEX models, ship on a pallet via LTL (Less Than Truckload) freight. Fireplaces ship on pallets or in custom crates. But smaller accessories like fireback panels or fan kits might ship via parcel (UPS/FedEx).
The mistake? Ordering a large grill and a small accessory in the same order. Sometimes the distributor will split the shipment into two carriers. If you're not tracking that, the small accessory arrives a week early, the grill arrives damaged because the dock guys didn't know to unload a pallet, or your delivery window gets pushed by days.
Action: On your PO, specify if you want everything shipped together (negotiable with the distributor) or separately with tracking numbers for each. For LTL shipments, schedule a delivery appointment. For pallets, ensure you have a forklift or pallet jack on site.
6. Document the Condition at Delivery (48-Hour Rule)
This is the most important step for protecting your margin. Napoleon, like most manufacturers, has a claim window for damage. Typically, you have 48 hours from delivery to inspect and report concealed damage.
I learned this the hard way. A $2,400 Napoleon Gas Fireplace arrived on a pallet. The packaging looked intact. We signed for it. A week later, when we opened it for installation, the glass front was cracked. The claim was denied. We were out the cost of the unit plus the disposal.
Action: When a pallet arrives, video the unboxing. Take photos of the pallet condition from all four sides. Note any crush damage, torn shrink wrap, or signs of water. If you see any damage on the box, open it immediately and inspect the unit. If it's clean, open it within 48 hours and take video. Save all packaging until the unit is installed.
7. Check the Warranty Registration Requirements
Napoleon offers a good warranty—limited lifetime for certain parts on their higher-end grills and fireplaces. But here's the kicker: the warranty often requires the product to be registered within 30 days of purchase (or original retail sale) by the end user or the installing dealer.
If you're a dealer and you sell a unit but don't register it, or the customer forgets, the warranty claim down the line could be denied. This is a huge stickiness for customer satisfaction.
Action: Include a warranty registration card in the box when the product ships. Better yet, register the warranty yourself on behalf of your customer and include the confirmation in your invoice. It takes 5 minutes and saves a potential multi-hour headache later.
Common Mistakes I Still See (And How to Avoid Them)
Even with the checklist, mistakes happen. Here are the three most common I've seen in the last year:
- Assuming the model number on the PO matches the unit. I've seen a picker grab an 'L-500' (a charcoal grill) instead of a 'LEX 500' (a gas grill). The difference is $1,500 and the need for charcoal. Always have someone else read the PO back to you.
- Ignoring the 'Flue Size' for fireplace inserts. Napoleon wood stove inserts come with specific flue collar sizes (6-inch, 7-inch). Ordering an adapter after the fact is annoying and delays install. Confirm the flue size before ordering.
- Overlooking the 'Minimum Clearance' requirements. This is a safety issue, not just a fit issue. A gas fireplace needs specific clearances to combustibles (1-inch, 2-inch, etc.). Putting it too close to a wooden mantel is a fire hazard. I include the clearance spec in the work order.
That checklist has saved my bacon more times than I can count. It's not glamorous. It's not exciting. But it's the difference between a smooth project and a $2,800 mistake.
