Hartford fireplace repair
Fireplace Repair? For Safety’s Sake, You Might Need a Fireplace Replacement
Many things can transpire during building of a Hartford home – not all good.
A new Hartford home has myriad working components. Some involve very detailed installations to work safely and properly. Home builders, while proficient at many things, are rarely experts in the precise installations of every mechanical part.
Enclosed fireplaces are one example. While welcomed for their comfy ambiance and effective room heating, wrong installation of fireplace inserts can create hazards that threaten life and home: carbon monoxide escaping. Smoke backup. Live embers leaping onto outside surfaces.
Safety risks with a fireplace insert are often identified during a fireplace inspection and cleaning in Hartford. Occasionally a fireplace repair is not workable. If the fireplace is compromised, a total fireplace replacement is needed.
Recurring fireplace inspections are always recommended, for both safety and operational efficiency. Hiring an expert such as Butler Chimneys, your fireplace and chimney inspection company in Hartford, ensures that a fireplace is functioning properly and your family protected.
Safety concerns can be found with both gas and wood-burning fireplaces. More often than not, the cause is incorrect installation. Normally an issue isn’t viewable from outside the fireplace – a closer check inside, by a trained eye, identifies 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 infamous for causing problems such as smoke backup, or exhaust not drafting properly. If a fireplace ignites a house fire, insurance coverage could be turned down if substitute aftermarket parts were used.
Often, though, conditions mandate a total fireplace replacement. A box with rust is automatically marked as unsafe. If a fan stops operating, replacement is not a choice. A degraded refractory panel must be replaced.
In these situations, the complete fireplace system should be removed, along with the nearby façade. It’s a multi-day undertaking 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 opportunity to change over from wood burning to gas. Though not possessing the heat production of wood, gas is far more convenient (and less labor intensive) as fuel.
Others might opt for 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 cost of a replacement insert.
The façade surrounding the fireplace can be completely reworked, 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 look like steel or wood.
Fireplaces are a welcome feature in Hartford homes for multiple reasons. Realistically, these benefits entail potential 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 installation wasn’t done correctly the first time, doesn’t mean you have to co-exist with its risks.