Ozaukee County fireplace repair
Fireplace Repair? For Safety’s Sake, You Could Need a Fireplace Replacement
Many things can happen during building of a Ozaukee County residence – not all welcome.
A new Ozaukee County residence has myriad working components. Some need very exacting installations to operate safely and efficiently. House builders, while proficient at many things, are not always experts in the precise installations of every mechanical element.
Enclosed fireplaces are one example. While desired for their comfy ambiance and efficient room heating, wrong installation of fireplace inserts can create risks that threaten life and home: carbon monoxide escaping. Smoke backup. Live embers leaping onto outside surfaces.
Safety problems with a fireplace insert are often revealed during a fireplace inspection and cleaning in Ozaukee County. Sometimes a fireplace repair is not possible. If the fireplace is compromised, a total fireplace replacement is needed.
Regular 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 Ozaukee County, ensures that a fireplace is operating correctly and your family protected.
Safety threats can be revealed with both gas and wood-burning fireplaces. More regularly than not, the culprit is improper installation. Usually an issue isn’t identifiable from outside the fireplace – a closer look 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 causing issues such as smoke backup, or exhaust not drafting correctly. If a fireplace causes a house fire, insurance benefits could be denied if substitute aftermarket parts were involved.
Often, though, conditions mandate a complete fireplace replacement. A box with rust is immediately marked as unsafe. If a fan stops functioning, replacement is not an option. A degraded refractory panel must be replaced.
In these instances, the total fireplace system should be removed, 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 institute improvements they might have already considered.
Many seize the moment to convert from wood burning to gas. Though not possessing 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 heat, this design has old-fashioned aesthetics that many find comforting. 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 redesigned, too. Tile, stone or brick veneer, or composite wood are popular selections. 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 Ozaukee County homes for many reasons. Realistically, these benefits carry 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 initially, doesn’t mean you have to live with its risks.