Summit Center fireplace repair

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

Many things can happen during building of a Summit Center residence – not all wanted.

A new Summit Center residence has many working elements. Some involve very specific installations to operate safely and properly. Home builders, while proficient at many things, are hardly ever experts in the precise installations of every mechanical component.

Enclosed fireplaces are a prime example. While desired for their comforting ambiance and efficient space heating, incorrect 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 discovered during a fireplace inspection and cleaning in Summit Center. Sometimes a fireplace repair is not workable. If the fireplace is compromised, a total fireplace replacement is needed.

Recurring fireplace inspections are always prudent, for both safety and operational efficiency. Hiring a professional service such as Butler Chimneys, your fireplace and chimney inspection company in Summit Center, ensures that a fireplace is working correctly and your loved ones protected.

Safety problems can be found with both gas and wood-burning fireplaces. More regularly than not, the cause is incorrect installation. Usually an issue isn’t identifiable 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 generating issues such as smoke backup, or exhaust not drafting properly. If a fireplace ignites a house fire, insurance benefits could be turned down if substitute aftermarket parts were involved.

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

In these cases, the total fireplace system should be uninstalled, 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 thought about.

Many use the opportunity to convert from wood burning to gas. Though without the heat generation of wood, gas is far more convenient (and less labor intensive) as fuel.

Others might choose an open wood-burning fireplace, rather than enclosed. While a net minus for warmth, this design has traditional aesthetics that many find comforting. 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 options. The hearth might be reimagined in limestone, tile, brick or stone. The mantle can be reworked to resemble steel or wood.

Fireplaces are a desirable feature in Summit Center homes for a variety of reasons. Realistically, these benefits involve 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 correctly initially, doesn’t mean you have to live with its risks.