Watertown fireplace repair

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

Many things can happen during erection of a Watertown house – not all good.

A new Watertown house has myriad working elements. Some involve very exacting installations to operate safely and properly. Home builders, while proficient at many things, are hardly ever experts in the detailed installations of every mechanical element.

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

Safety issues with a fireplace insert are often uncovered during a fireplace inspection and cleaning in Watertown. Sometimes a fireplace repair is not feasible. If the fireplace is compromised, a complete fireplace replacement is needed.

Recurring fireplace inspections are always recommended, for both safety and operational efficiency. Hiring a professional service such as Butler Chimneys, your fireplace and chimney inspection company in Watertown, ensures that a fireplace is functioning properly and your family protected.

Safety concerns can be discovered with both gas and wood-burning fireplaces. More regularly than not, the culprit is improper installation. Usually 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 causes a house fire, insurance coverage could be turned down if substitute aftermarket parts were involved.

Often, though, conditions merit a total fireplace replacement. A box with rust is immediately flagged as unsafe. If a fan stops working, replacement is not a choice. A degraded refractory panel has to be replaced.

In these examples, the entire fireplace system should be uninstalled, 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 pursue improvements they might have already thought about.

Many seize the opportunity to transition 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 heat, this design has traditional aesthetics that many find charming. An open fireplace is far less pricey, too – typically one-third the cost of a replacement insert.

The façade surrounding the fireplace can be majorly reworked, too. Tile, stone or brick veneer, or composite wood are popular options. The hearth might be redone in limestone, tile, brick or stone. The mantle can be reworked to look like steel or wood.

Fireplaces are a desirable feature in Watertown homes for a variety of reasons. Realistically, these benefits carry 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 work wasn’t done right the first time, doesn’t mean you have to live with its risks.