Heath Mills fireplace repair

Fireplace Repair? For Safety’s Sake, You Could Need a Fireplace Replacement

Many things can transpire during building of a Heath Mills residence – not all good.

A new Heath Mills home has myriad working elements. Some need very specific installations to operate safely and according to plan. Home builders, while skilled at many things, are hardly ever experts in the precise installations of every mechanical element.

Enclosed fireplaces are one example. While welcomed for their cheery ambiance and efficient space heating, wrong installation of fireplace inserts can cause risks that threaten life and home: carbon monoxide escaping. Smoke backup. Live embers escaping onto outside surfaces.

Safety issues with a fireplace insert are often found during a fireplace inspection and cleaning in Heath Mills. Occasionally a fireplace repair is not possible. If the fireplace is compromised, a total fireplace replacement is needed.

Recurring fireplace inspections are always recommended, for both safety and operational efficiency. Hiring an expert such as Butler Chimneys, your fireplace and chimney inspection company in Heath Mills, ensures that a fireplace is working correctly and your family safeguarded.

Safety concerns can be discovered with both gas and wood-burning fireplaces. More regularly than not, the source is incorrect installation. Typically an issue isn’t noticeable from outside the fireplace – a closer check inside, by a trained eye, identifies a compromised joint, section or non-working part.

If a part can be changed, it must be swapped out with the exact manufacturer’s part. Aftermarket parts are notorious for generating problems such as smoke backup, or exhaust not drafting correctly. If a fireplace ignites a house fire, insurance coverage could be turned down if substitute aftermarket parts were used.

Often, though, conditions mandate a complete fireplace replacement. A box with rust is immediately identified as unsafe. If a fan stops operating, replacement is not an option. A degraded refractory panel must be replaced.

In these situations, the complete fireplace system should be removed, along with the nearby façade. It’s a multi-day process for professionals such as Butler Chimneys. The work creates a window, though, for a homeowner to make improvements they might have already thought about.

Many grab the opportunity to convert from wood burning to gas. Though without the heat production of wood, gas is far more user friendly (and less labor intensive) as fuel.

Others might opt for an open wood-burning fireplace, rather than enclosed. While a net minus for warmth, this design has traditional aesthetics that many find comforting. An open fireplace is far less expensive, too – typically one-third the price of a replacement insert.

The façade around the fireplace can be totally redesigned, too. Tile, stone or brick veneer, or composite wood are popular choices. The hearth might be reimagined in limestone, tile, brick or stone. The mantle can be reworked to resemble steel or wood.

Fireplaces are a welcome feature in Heath Mills homes for a variety of reasons. Realistically, these benefits carry possible hazards that shouldn’t be ignored. So don’t – contact Butler Chimneys for fireplace and chimney inspection and cleaning and, if needed, changing a fireplace insert. Just because work wasn’t done correctly the first time, doesn’t mean you have to co-exist with its risks.