Waukesha County fireplace repair

Fireplace Repair? For Safety’s Sake, You Might Need a Fireplace Replacement

Many things can occur during building of a Waukesha County home – not all welcome.

A new Waukesha County residence has multiple working parts. Some involve very exacting installations to function safely and properly. Home builders, while good at many things, are hardly ever experts in the detailed installations of every mechanical element.

Enclosed fireplaces are one example. While welcomed for their comforting ambiance and efficient room heating, incorrect installation of fireplace inserts can generate hazards that threaten life and home: carbon monoxide leakage. Smoke backup. Live embers escaping onto outside surfaces.

Safety risks with a fireplace insert are often identified during a fireplace inspection and cleaning in Waukesha County. Occasionally a fireplace repair is not workable. If the fireplace is compromised, a total fireplace replacement is needed.

Recurring fireplace inspections are always advisable, for both safety and operational efficiency. Hiring a professional service such as Butler Chimneys, your fireplace and chimney inspection company in Waukesha County, 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 cause is improper installation. Usually an issue isn’t obvious from outside the fireplace – a closer inspection inside, by a trained eye, finds a compromised joint, section or non-working part.

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

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

In these situations, the entire fireplace system should be taken out, along with the surrounding façade. It’s a multi-day undertaking for professionals such as Butler Chimneys. The work creates an opportunity, though, for a homeowner to pursue improvements they might have already considered.

Many use the opportunity to change over from wood burning to gas. Though without 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 negative for heat, this design has old-fashioned aesthetics that many find charming. An open fireplace is far less pricey, too – usually one-third the price of a replacement insert.

The façade surrounding the fireplace can be completely 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 wanted feature in Waukesha County homes for multiple reasons. Realistically, these benefits entail 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 right the first time, doesn’t mean you have to co-exist with its risks.