Summit Center fireplace repair

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

Many things can happen during erection of a Summit Center house – not all good.

A new Summit Center house has myriad working elements. Some require very specific installations to work safely and properly. House builders, while skilled 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 comfy ambiance and effective space heating, improper installation of fireplace inserts can create hazards that threaten life and home: carbon monoxide leakage. Smoke backup. Live embers leaping onto outside surfaces.

Safety issues with a fireplace insert are often uncovered during a fireplace inspection and cleaning in Summit Center. Occasionally a fireplace repair is not possible. If the fireplace is compromised, a complete fireplace replacement is necessitated.

Regular fireplace inspections are always advisable, for both safety and operational efficiency. Hiring an expert such as Butler Chimneys, your fireplace and chimney inspection company in Summit Center, ensures that a fireplace is working correctly and your loved ones safeguarded.

Safety threats can be discovered with both gas and wood-burning fireplaces. More often than not, the cause is improper installation. Typically an issue isn’t viewable from outside the fireplace – a closer check inside, by a trained eye, discovers 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 infamous for generating issues such as smoke backup, or exhaust not drafting correctly. If a fireplace sparks a house fire, insurance coverage could be turned down if substitute aftermarket parts were used.

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

In these cases, the entire fireplace system should be taken out, along with the surrounding façade. It’s a multi-day process for professionals such as Butler Chimneys. The project creates a window, though, for a homeowner to pursue improvements they might have already considered.

Many seize the moment to transition from wood burning to gas. Though not possessing the heat production of wood, gas is far more convenient (and less labor intensive) as fuel.

Others might select an open wood-burning fireplace, rather than enclosed. While a net minus for warmth, this design has old-fashioned aesthetics that many find comforting. An open fireplace is far less expensive, too – typically one-third the cost 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 redone in limestone, tile, brick or stone. The mantle can be reworked to look like steel or wood.

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