Helenville fireplace repair
Fireplace Repair? For Safety’s Sake, You Might Require a Fireplace Replacement
Many things can occur during building of a Helenville home – not all wanted.
A new Helenville home has many working components. Some require very exacting installations to function safely and according to plan. Home builders, while proficient at many things, are often not experts in the detailed installations of every mechanical part.
Enclosed fireplaces are often one. While welcomed for their comforting ambiance and efficient room heating, improper installation of fireplace inserts can create hazards that threaten life and home: carbon monoxide leakage. Smoke backup. Live embers escaping onto outside surfaces.
Safety issues with a fireplace insert are often discovered during a fireplace inspection and cleaning in Helenville. Periodically a fireplace repair is not workable. If the fireplace is compromised, a complete fireplace replacement is necessitated.
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 Helenville, ensures that a fireplace is operating properly and your family protected.
Safety problems can be revealed with both gas and wood-burning fireplaces. More regularly than not, the reason is improper installation. Normally a problem isn’t viewable from outside the fireplace – a closer check inside, by a trained eye, spots a compromised joint, section or non-working part.
If a part can be replaced, it must be substituted with the duplicate manufacturer’s part. Aftermarket parts are notorious for generating problems such as smoke backup, or exhaust not drafting correctly. If a fireplace sparks a house fire, insurance benefits could be turned down if substitute aftermarket parts were used.
Often, though, conditions demand a total 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 has to be replaced.
In these instances, the total 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 considered.
Many grab the moment 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 select an open wood-burning fireplace, rather than enclosed. While a net negative for warmth, this design has old-fashioned aesthetics that many find charming. An open fireplace is far less costly, too – typically one-third the cost of a replacement insert.
The façade buttressing the fireplace can be majorly 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 desirable feature in Helenville homes for multiple reasons. Realistically, these benefits involve potential 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 something wasn’t done right initially, doesn’t mean you have to co-exist with its risks.