Pewaukee fireplace repair
Fireplace Repair? For Safety’s Sake, You Could Require a Fireplace Replacement
Many things can happen during building of a Pewaukee house – not all good.
A new Pewaukee home has many working components. Some involve very specific installations to function 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 desired for their comfy ambiance and effective room heating, incorrect installation of fireplace inserts can create hazards that threaten life and home: carbon monoxide escaping. Smoke backup. Live embers flying onto outside surfaces.
Safety concerns with a fireplace insert are often revealed during a fireplace inspection and cleaning in Pewaukee. Sometimes a fireplace repair is not feasible. If the fireplace is compromised, a total fireplace replacement is needed.
Regular fireplace inspections are always wise, for both safety and operational efficiency. Hiring an expert such as Butler Chimneys, your fireplace and chimney inspection company in Pewaukee, ensures that a fireplace is working correctly and your loved ones safeguarded.
Safety concerns can be found with both gas and wood-burning fireplaces. More often than not, the cause is incorrect installation. Usually a problem isn’t identifiable from outside the fireplace – a closer inspection inside, by a trained eye, spots a compromised joint, section or non-working part.
If a part can be replaced, it must be substituted with the exact manufacturer’s part. Aftermarket parts are notorious for generating problems such as smoke backup, or exhaust not drafting properly. If a fireplace sparks a house fire, insurance benefits could be turned down if substitute aftermarket parts were used.
Often, though, conditions require a complete fireplace replacement. A box with rust is immediately flagged as unsafe. If a fan stops working, replacement is not a choice. A degraded refractory panel must be replaced.
In these cases, the complete fireplace system should be taken out, along with the surrounding façade. It’s a multi-day process for professionals such as Butler Chimneys. The work creates a window, though, for a homeowner to institute improvements they might have already thought about.
Many use the opportunity to transition 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 heat, this design has traditional aesthetics that many find charming. An open fireplace is far less expensive, too – usually one-third the cost of a replacement insert.
The façade surrounding the fireplace can be majorly reworked, 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 desirable feature in Pewaukee homes for a variety of reasons. Realistically, these benefits entail 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 installation wasn’t done right initially, doesn’t mean you have to live with its risks.