Keowns fireplace repair
Fireplace Repair? For Safety’s Sake, You Could Need a Fireplace Replacement
Many things can transpire during construction of a Keowns home – not all wanted.
A new Keowns home has myriad working components. Some require very exacting installations to operate safely and properly. House builders, while skilled at many things, are hardly ever experts in the precise installations of every mechanical component.
Enclosed fireplaces are a prime example. While welcomed for their comfy ambiance and effective space heating, improper installation of fireplace inserts can generate risks that threaten life and home: carbon monoxide leakage. Smoke backup. Live embers flying onto outside surfaces.
Safety risks with a fireplace insert are often revealed during a fireplace inspection and cleaning in Keowns. Sometimes a fireplace repair is not possible. If the fireplace is compromised, a complete fireplace replacement is needed.
Regular 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 Keowns, ensures that a fireplace is working correctly and your loved ones protected.
Safety problems can be found with both gas and wood-burning fireplaces. More regularly than not, the culprit is incorrect installation. Normally a problem isn’t obvious 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 changed, it must be substituted with the duplicate manufacturer’s part. Aftermarket parts are notorious for creating issues such as smoke backup, or exhaust not drafting properly. If a fireplace sparks a house fire, insurance benefits could be denied if substitute aftermarket parts were involved.
Often, though, conditions require a total fireplace replacement. A box with rust is immediately identified as unsafe. If a fan stops operating, replacement is not an option. A degraded refractory panel must be replaced.
In these cases, the complete fireplace system should be uninstalled, along with the surrounding 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 grab the moment to transition from wood burning to gas. Though not possessing the heat production 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 negative for warmth, this design has old-fashioned aesthetics that many find comforting. An open fireplace is far less expensive, too – usually one-third the cost of a replacement insert.
The façade around the fireplace can be majorly 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 Keowns homes for multiple 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 work wasn’t done correctly initially, doesn’t mean you have to live with its risks.