North Prairie fireplace repair

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

Many things can transpire during erection of a North Prairie residence – not all desirable.

A new North Prairie home has myriad working elements. Some require very exacting installations to work safely and efficiently. Home builders, while skilled at many things, are rarely experts in the detailed installations of every mechanical element.

Enclosed fireplaces are often one. While enjoyed for their comfy ambiance and effective room heating, improper installation of fireplace inserts can cause hazards that threaten life and home: carbon monoxide escaping. Smoke backup. Live embers leaping onto outside surfaces.

Safety concerns with a fireplace insert are often identified during a fireplace inspection and cleaning in North Prairie. Periodically a fireplace repair is not possible. If the fireplace is compromised, a complete fireplace replacement is necessitated.

Regular fireplace inspections are always wise, for both safety and operational efficiency. Hiring a professional service such as Butler Chimneys, your fireplace and chimney inspection company in North Prairie, ensures that a fireplace is functioning correctly and your family safeguarded.

Safety issues can be discovered with both gas and wood-burning fireplaces. More often than not, the source is incorrect installation. Typically a problem isn’t noticeable from outside the fireplace – a closer look inside, by a trained eye, identifies a compromised joint, section or non-working part.

If a part can be replaced, it must be swapped out with the exact manufacturer’s part. Aftermarket parts are infamous for creating problems such as smoke backup, or exhaust not drafting correctly. If a fireplace sparks a house fire, insurance benefits could be denied if substitute aftermarket parts were involved.

Often, though, conditions mandate a complete fireplace replacement. A box with rust is immediately flagged as unsafe. If a fan stops working, replacement is not an option. A degraded refractory panel must be replaced.

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

Many seize the moment to convert 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 choose an open wood-burning fireplace, rather than enclosed. While a net minus for heat, this design has old-fashioned aesthetics that many find charming. An open fireplace is far less expensive, too – typically one-third the price of a replacement insert.

The façade around the fireplace can be completely reworked, as well. Tile, stone or brick veneer, or composite wood are popular options. 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 wanted feature in North Prairie homes for multiple reasons. Realistically, these benefits involve potential hazards that shouldn’t be overlooked. So don’t – contact Butler Chimneys for fireplace and chimney inspection and cleaning and, if needed, changing a fireplace insert. Just because something wasn’t done properly the first time, doesn’t mean you have to co-exist with its risks.