South Milwaukee fireplace repair
Fireplace Repair? For Safety’s Sake, You Could Require a Fireplace Replacement
Many things can happen during construction of a South Milwaukee home – not all welcome.
A new South Milwaukee home has many working parts. Some involve very detailed installations to work safely and efficiently. House builders, while proficient at many things, are hardly ever experts in the detailed installations of every mechanical element.
Enclosed fireplaces are one example. While welcomed for their comfy ambiance and effective room heating, incorrect installation of fireplace inserts can generate risks that threaten life and home: carbon monoxide escaping. Smoke backup. Live embers flying onto outside surfaces.
Safety issues with a fireplace insert are often discovered during a fireplace inspection and cleaning in South Milwaukee. Sometimes a fireplace repair is not feasible. If the fireplace is compromised, a complete fireplace replacement is required.
Regular fireplace inspections are always wise, for both safety and operational efficiency. Hiring an expert such as Butler Chimneys, your fireplace and chimney inspection company in South Milwaukee, ensures that a fireplace is working properly and your family safeguarded.
Safety threats can be found with both gas and wood-burning fireplaces. More often than not, the source is improper installation. Usually an issue isn’t viewable 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 changed, it must be swapped out with the exact manufacturer’s part. Aftermarket parts are infamous for causing problems such as smoke backup, or exhaust not drafting correctly. If a fireplace ignites a house fire, insurance benefits could be turned down if substitute aftermarket parts were used.
Often, though, conditions mandate a total fireplace replacement. A box with rust is immediately verified as unsafe. If a fan stops functioning, replacement is not a choice. A degraded refractory panel must be replaced.
In these instances, the complete fireplace system should be uninstalled, along with the nearby façade. It’s a multi-day process for professionals such as Butler Chimneys. The project creates an opportunity, though, for a homeowner to make improvements they might have already thought about.
Many use the moment to change over 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 choose 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 costly, too – typically one-third the price of a replacement insert.
The façade surrounding the fireplace can be totally reworked, as well. 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 look like steel or wood.
Fireplaces are a desirable feature in South Milwaukee homes for multiple reasons. Realistically, these benefits carry 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 work wasn’t done right initially, doesn’t mean you have to live with its risks.