Saint Martins fireplace repair

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

Many things can transpire during building of a Saint Martins residence – not all good.

A new Saint Martins house has myriad working components. Some require very specific installations to function safely and properly. House builders, while skilled at many things, are often not experts in the precise installations of every mechanical component.

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

Safety threats with a fireplace insert are often identified during a fireplace inspection and cleaning in Saint Martins. Sometimes a fireplace repair is not possible. If the fireplace is compromised, a total 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 Saint Martins, ensures that a fireplace is operating properly and your loved ones protected.

Safety problems can be identified with both gas and wood-burning fireplaces. More regularly than not, the source is incorrect installation. Normally a problem isn’t identifiable from outside the fireplace – a closer inspection inside, by a trained eye, identifies a compromised joint, section or non-working part.

If a part can be changed, it must be substituted with the duplicate manufacturer’s part. Aftermarket parts are infamous for causing issues 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 merit a total fireplace replacement. A box with rust is immediately flagged as unsafe. If a fan stops functioning, replacement is not an option. A degraded refractory panel has to be replaced.

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

Many grab the moment to convert from wood burning to gas. Though lacking the heat generation 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 minus for warmth, this design has old-fashioned aesthetics that many find charming. An open fireplace is far less pricey, too – typically one-third the price of a replacement insert.

The façade surrounding the fireplace can be completely reworked, as well. 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 Saint Martins homes for multiple reasons. Realistically, these benefits come with 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 installation wasn’t done correctly initially, doesn’t mean you have to live with its risks.