Washington County fireplace repair
Fireplace Repair? For Safety’s Sake, You Could Require a Fireplace Replacement
Many things can occur during erection of a Washington County residence – not all desirable.
A new Washington County home has many working parts. Some require very detailed installations to function safely and efficiently. House builders, while skilled at many things, are hardly ever experts in the detailed installations of every mechanical part.
Enclosed fireplaces are one example. While desired for their cheery ambiance and effective space heating, incorrect installation of fireplace inserts can create risks that threaten life and home: carbon monoxide leakage. Smoke backup. Live embers flying onto outside surfaces.
Safety problems with a fireplace insert are often discovered during a fireplace inspection and cleaning in Washington County. Sometimes a fireplace repair is not feasible. If the fireplace is compromised, a total fireplace replacement is needed.
Regular 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 Washington County, ensures that a fireplace is operating properly and your family safeguarded.
Safety issues can be uncovered with both gas and wood-burning fireplaces. More regularly than not, the culprit is improper installation. Typically a problem isn’t obvious from outside the fireplace – a closer inspection inside, by a trained eye, discovers 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 notorious for causing issues such as smoke backup, or exhaust not drafting properly. If a fireplace sparks a house fire, insurance benefits could be turned down if substitute aftermarket parts were used.
Often, though, conditions merit a total 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 has to be replaced.
In these situations, the complete fireplace system should be uninstalled, along with the nearby façade. It’s a multi-day undertaking for professionals such as Butler Chimneys. The project creates a window, though, for a homeowner to institute improvements they might have already thought about.
Many seize the moment to convert from wood burning to gas. Though lacking the heat production 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 negative 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 majorly redesigned, 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 welcome feature in Washington County homes for a variety of reasons. Realistically, these benefits entail possible 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 properly the first time, doesn’t mean you have to co-exist with its risks.