Saint Lawrence fireplace repair

Fireplace Repair? For Safety’s Sake, You Could Require a Fireplace Replacement

Many things can happen during erection of a Saint Lawrence residence – not all welcome.

A new Saint Lawrence house has myriad working elements. Some require very specific installations to function safely and according to plan. House builders, while good at many things, are rarely experts in the precise installations of every mechanical element.

Enclosed fireplaces are a prime example. While enjoyed for their cheery ambiance and effective room heating, wrong installation of fireplace inserts can generate risks that threaten life and home: carbon monoxide leakage. Smoke backup. Live embers escaping onto outside surfaces.

Safety problems with a fireplace insert are often found during a fireplace inspection and cleaning in Saint Lawrence. Sometimes a fireplace repair is not possible. If the fireplace is compromised, a total fireplace replacement is necessitated.

Recurring fireplace inspections are always prudent, for both safety and operational efficiency. Hiring a professional service such as Butler Chimneys, your fireplace and chimney inspection company in Saint Lawrence, ensures that a fireplace is operating correctly and your family protected.

Safety threats can be found with both gas and wood-burning fireplaces. More regularly than not, the source is incorrect installation. Usually a problem isn’t viewable from outside the fireplace – a closer look inside, by a trained eye, finds a compromised joint, section or non-working part.

If a part can be changed, it must be swapped out with the duplicate manufacturer’s part. Aftermarket parts are notorious for generating issues such as smoke backup, or exhaust not drafting correctly. If a fireplace ignites a house fire, insurance coverage could be turned down if substitute aftermarket parts were used.

Often, though, conditions merit a total fireplace replacement. A box with rust is automatically flagged as unsafe. If a fan stops working, replacement is not a choice. A degraded refractory panel has to be replaced.

In these instances, the entire 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 an opportunity, though, for a homeowner to pursue improvements they might have already considered.

Many seize the opportunity to change over from wood burning to gas. Though without the heat production of wood, gas is far more user friendly (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 costly, too – typically one-third the cost of a replacement insert.

The façade around 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 desirable feature in Saint Lawrence homes for many reasons. Realistically, these benefits entail potential hazards that shouldn’t be ignored. 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 properly initially, doesn’t mean you have to co-exist with its risks.