Camp Whitcomb fireplace repair

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

Many things can happen during building of a Camp Whitcomb house – not all welcome.

A new Camp Whitcomb home has many working components. Some require very detailed installations to function safely and properly. Home builders, while good at many things, are not always experts in the detailed installations of every mechanical component.

Enclosed fireplaces are one example. While welcomed for their comfy ambiance and efficient space heating, improper installation of fireplace inserts can cause hazards that threaten life and home: carbon monoxide escaping. Smoke backup. Live embers flying onto outside surfaces.

Safety problems with a fireplace insert are often found during a fireplace inspection and cleaning in Camp Whitcomb. Occasionally a fireplace repair is not feasible. If the fireplace is compromised, a total fireplace replacement is necessitated.

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 Camp Whitcomb, ensures that a fireplace is working correctly and your family safeguarded.

Safety threats can be identified with both gas and wood-burning fireplaces. More regularly than not, the culprit is incorrect installation. Often a problem isn’t viewable from outside the fireplace – a closer inspection inside, by a trained eye, identifies 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 infamous for creating issues such as smoke backup, or exhaust not drafting correctly. If a fireplace causes a house fire, insurance coverage could be denied if substitute aftermarket parts were involved.

Often, though, conditions mandate a total fireplace replacement. A box with rust is automatically marked as unsafe. If a fan stops functioning, replacement is not an option. A degraded refractory panel must be replaced.

In these instances, the entire fireplace system should be taken out, along with the surrounding façade. It’s a multi-day process for professionals such as Butler Chimneys. The project creates a window, though, for a homeowner to institute improvements they might have already considered.

Many seize the moment to change over from wood burning to gas. Though not possessing the heat generation 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 negative for warmth, this design has old-fashioned aesthetics that many find charming. An open fireplace is far less expensive, too – usually one-third the cost of a replacement insert.

The façade around 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 resemble steel or wood.

Fireplaces are a welcome feature in Camp Whitcomb homes for multiple reasons. Realistically, these benefits come with 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 work wasn’t done properly initially, doesn’t mean you have to live with its risks.