Prospect fireplace repair
Fireplace Repair? For Safety’s Sake, You Might Require a Fireplace Replacement
Many things can transpire during building of a Prospect house – not all welcome.
A new Prospect residence has myriad working elements. Some need very exacting installations to work safely and efficiently. Home builders, while proficient at many things, are hardly ever experts in the precise installations of every mechanical component.
Enclosed fireplaces are often one. While desired for their cheery ambiance and effective room heating, improper installation of fireplace inserts can generate hazards that threaten life and home: carbon monoxide leakage. Smoke backup. Live embers escaping onto outside surfaces.
Safety threats with a fireplace insert are often discovered during a fireplace inspection and cleaning in Prospect. Occasionally a fireplace repair is not possible. If the fireplace is compromised, a complete fireplace replacement is necessitated.
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 Prospect, ensures that a fireplace is operating properly and your loved ones safeguarded.
Safety concerns can be revealed with both gas and wood-burning fireplaces. More often than not, the cause is improper installation. Often a problem isn’t viewable from outside the fireplace – a closer check 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 generating problems such as smoke backup, or exhaust not drafting correctly. If a fireplace causes a house fire, insurance benefits could be denied if substitute aftermarket parts were used.
Often, though, conditions merit a total 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 has to be replaced.
In these examples, the complete fireplace system should be uninstalled, along with the nearby 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 grab the opportunity 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 negative for heat, this design has traditional aesthetics that many find charming. An open fireplace is far less costly, too – usually one-third the price of a replacement insert.
The façade surrounding the fireplace can be totally reworked, as well. Tile, stone or brick veneer, or composite wood are popular choices. The hearth might be redone in limestone, tile, brick or stone. The mantle can be reworked to look like steel or wood.
Fireplaces are a welcome feature in Prospect homes for multiple reasons. Realistically, these benefits come with potential 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 properly initially, doesn’t mean you have to live with its risks.