Lake Five fireplace repair

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

Many things can transpire during construction of a Lake Five house – not all desirable.

A new Lake Five home has many working parts. Some involve very detailed installations to operate safely and according to plan. House builders, while skilled at many things, are often not experts in the detailed installations of every mechanical element.

Enclosed fireplaces are a prime example. While welcomed for their comfy ambiance and effective room heating, improper installation of fireplace inserts can cause risks that threaten life and home: carbon monoxide leakage. Smoke backup. Live embers leaping onto outside surfaces.

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

Regular fireplace inspections are always prudent, for both safety and operational efficiency. Hiring an expert such as Butler Chimneys, your fireplace and chimney inspection company in Lake Five, ensures that a fireplace is working properly and your family protected.

Safety problems can be uncovered with both gas and wood-burning fireplaces. More often than not, the cause is improper installation. Usually an issue isn’t noticeable from outside the fireplace – a closer look inside, by a trained eye, spots 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 causing problems 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 require a total fireplace replacement. A box with rust is automatically flagged as unsafe. If a fan stops operating, replacement is not a choice. A degraded refractory panel has to be replaced.

In these examples, the entire fireplace system should be taken out, 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 considered.

Many use the moment to convert from wood burning to gas. Though lacking 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 traditional aesthetics that many find charming. An open fireplace is far less expensive, too – usually one-third the price of a replacement insert.

The façade surrounding the fireplace can be majorly redesigned, too. 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 look like steel or wood.

Fireplaces are a welcome feature in Lake Five homes for many reasons. Realistically, these benefits involve possible 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 right the first time, doesn’t mean you have to co-exist with its risks.