Smoking fireplace: Our home was built in 1979 (west coast) and the fireplace has always released smoke into the room. I was told it is an insert fireplace. It has fake brick slabs on the three walls and a slab on the floor. It also has five columns of vents along the bottom. The surround is all metal. My question is can this be fixed or should I consider replacing the fireplace? I want to install a flat screen TV above the opening and add a new surround but also want to use the fireplace...

If your fireplace has always smoked it is probably poorly designed. Constructing fireplaces needs a specialized engineering skill to get them to draw properly. You could try leaving the damper wide open, assuming you have one, until you get a good hot fire going then closing it only enough to keep smoke going up the chimney. Is flue right size (minimum 6" opening if you are burning wood) is fireplace opening right size, it should be wider than it is tall, also helps to use a metal grate to hold the logs up off the floor of the fireplace. Is the chimney high enough above the roofline and surrounding trees to prevent downdrafts. All of this is usually avoided by using a preengineered fireplace insert rather than relying on a carpenter, mason or contractor to site build all this. Also I wouldn't hang an expensive TV near a working fireplace. Just arrange those hideous family heirlooms and knickknacks your wife insists on keeping over the mantel and put your TV on the opposite wall

I agree with wildand blue about masonry fire places and chimneys. They take masonry skills and experience. That however, is not what you have. You have a pre-fabricated fire place and a flue pipe. It's just double walled metal fire box, a fresh air vent and a flue pipe. Installation is pretty straight forward, no special skills involved. Sit it in place, connect the prescribed flu pipe (double walled) and the combustion air vent. All the engineering was done at the factory. As long as the correct size flue was used it should work. Note however, that this is one case where bigger is not necessary better.

Most of the time these are installed by the seller. If it was installed by the seller I would also assume correct flue size. That leaves lack of combustion air. In order for the heat to rise and carry the smoke up the flue additional air must be drawn in. The louvered vents are for air circulation through the heat chamber and are not the required combustion air. If the combustion air vent was not installed or is blocked air must come into the room from some other source. At tight as houses are built today, that means opening a window slightly.

Make sure damper is open, make sure that flue is not blocked. You should be able to see light up the flue. Go up on roof and drop a tennis ball down flue. Probably be a good idea to have flue pipe cleaned by chimney sweeper.

Build fire, if fireplace does not draw smoke up the flue, open a window. If fire place now draws, you do not have a combustion air vent or it is blocked. Remove masonry wall and floor inserts, look for vent opening which should have piping to outside. Piping should be about 3" diameter.

I wouldn't hang a flat screen over a working fire place. I think you will have too much heat for TV.

Note: All of this assumes that you have a wood burning fire place.

Again Harold is correct, A flat screen produces a lot of its own heat and can't take much more. I would not install that TV. If you fireplace has always smoked I'd have pro check the chimney termination. The chimney may not be tall enough or partially blocked.