Waterloo fireplace repair
Fireplace Repair? For Safety’s Sake, You Might Require a Fireplace Replacement
Many things can happen during construction of a Waterloo home – not all desirable.
A new Waterloo home has myriad working components. Some require very specific installations to function safely and properly. House builders, while proficient at many things, are often not experts in the detailed installations of every mechanical element.
Enclosed fireplaces are one example. While welcomed for their cheery ambiance and efficient space heating, incorrect installation of fireplace inserts can generate risks that threaten life and home: carbon monoxide leakage. Smoke backup. Live embers flying onto outside surfaces.
Safety issues with a fireplace insert are often identified during a fireplace inspection and cleaning in Waterloo. Sometimes a fireplace repair is not possible. If the fireplace is compromised, a complete fireplace replacement is necessitated.
Regular fireplace inspections are always advisable, for both safety and operational efficiency. Hiring a professional service such as Butler Chimneys, your fireplace and chimney inspection company in Waterloo, ensures that a fireplace is operating correctly and your family safeguarded.
Safety concerns can be discovered with both gas and wood-burning fireplaces. More regularly than not, the cause is incorrect installation. Typically a problem isn’t noticeable from outside the fireplace – a closer look inside, by a trained eye, identifies a compromised joint, section or non-working part.
If a part can be replaced, it must be swapped out with the duplicate manufacturer’s part. Aftermarket parts are infamous for creating issues such as smoke backup, or exhaust not drafting correctly. If a fireplace sparks a house fire, insurance benefits could be denied if substitute aftermarket parts were involved.
Often, though, conditions mandate a total fireplace replacement. A box with rust is automatically identified as unsafe. If a fan stops operating, replacement is not an option. A degraded refractory panel must be replaced.
In these examples, the entire fireplace system should be taken out, along with the surrounding façade. It’s a multi-day undertaking 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 seize the moment to change over from wood burning to gas. Though without the heat production of wood, gas is far more convenient (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 around the fireplace can be totally redesigned, too. Tile, stone or brick veneer, or composite wood are popular options. The hearth might be reimagined in limestone, tile, brick or stone. The mantle can be reworked to resemble steel or wood.
Fireplaces are a wanted feature in Waterloo homes for many reasons. Realistically, these benefits involve possible hazards that shouldn’t be neglected. 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 correctly the first time, doesn’t mean you have to live with its risks.