Lake Koshkonong fireplace repair

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

Many things can occur during construction of a Lake Koshkonong home – not all welcome.

A new Lake Koshkonong home has myriad working elements. Some need very detailed installations to work safely and efficiently. Home builders, while proficient at many things, are not always experts in the precise installations of every mechanical part.

Enclosed fireplaces are often one. While desired for their cheery ambiance and efficient room heating, wrong installation of fireplace inserts can generate hazards that threaten life and home: carbon monoxide leakage. Smoke backup. Live embers escaping onto outside surfaces.

Safety threats with a fireplace insert are often found during a fireplace inspection and cleaning in Lake Koshkonong. Sometimes a fireplace repair is not possible. If the fireplace is compromised, a complete fireplace replacement is needed.

Recurring fireplace inspections are always prudent, for both safety and operational efficiency. Hiring an expert such as Butler Chimneys, your fireplace and chimney inspection company in Lake Koshkonong, ensures that a fireplace is functioning properly and your loved ones protected.

Safety threats can be identified with both gas and wood-burning fireplaces. More often than not, the reason is incorrect installation. Typically an issue isn’t obvious from outside the fireplace – a closer check inside, by a trained eye, discovers a compromised joint, section or non-working part.

If a part can be replaced, it must be substituted with the exact manufacturer’s part. Aftermarket parts are notorious for generating issues such as smoke backup, or exhaust not drafting properly. If a fireplace sparks a house fire, insurance benefits could be denied if substitute aftermarket parts were involved.

Often, though, conditions require a complete fireplace replacement. A box with rust is automatically marked as unsafe. If a fan stops operating, replacement is not a choice. A degraded refractory panel must be replaced.

In these situations, the entire fireplace system should be taken out, along with the nearby façade. It’s a multi-day undertaking for professionals such as Butler Chimneys. The work creates an opportunity, though, for a homeowner to institute improvements they might have already considered.

Many use the opportunity to change over from wood burning to gas. Though lacking the heat production of wood, gas is far more user friendly (and less labor intensive) as fuel.

Others might choose an open wood-burning fireplace, rather than enclosed. While a net negative for warmth, this design has old-fashioned aesthetics that many find comforting. An open fireplace is far less costly, too – usually one-third the cost of a replacement insert.

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

Fireplaces are a wanted feature in Lake Koshkonong homes for a variety of reasons. Realistically, these benefits entail potential hazards that shouldn’t be overlooked. 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 the first time, doesn’t mean you have to co-exist with its risks.