Utica fireplace repair
Fireplace Repair? For Safety’s Sake, You Could Require a Fireplace Replacement
Many things can occur during construction of a Utica home – not all welcome.
A new Utica home has myriad working elements. Some involve very detailed installations to function safely and efficiently. Home builders, while good at many things, are not always experts in the detailed installations of every mechanical element.
Enclosed fireplaces are often one. While enjoyed for their comfy ambiance and efficient room heating, incorrect installation of fireplace inserts can create risks that threaten life and home: carbon monoxide leakage. Smoke backup. Live embers flying onto outside surfaces.
Safety problems with a fireplace insert are often uncovered during a fireplace inspection and cleaning in Utica. Occasionally a fireplace repair is not workable. If the fireplace is compromised, a complete fireplace replacement is necessitated.
Recurring 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 Utica, ensures that a fireplace is working correctly and your loved ones safeguarded.
Safety issues can be identified with both gas and wood-burning fireplaces. More often than not, the culprit is incorrect installation. Typically a problem isn’t identifiable 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 swapped out with the exact manufacturer’s part. Aftermarket parts are infamous for generating issues such as smoke backup, or exhaust not drafting properly. If a fireplace sparks a house fire, insurance coverage could be turned down if substitute aftermarket parts were involved.
Often, though, conditions demand a complete fireplace replacement. A box with rust is immediately identified as unsafe. If a fan stops functioning, replacement is not an option. A degraded refractory panel has to be replaced.
In these examples, the total fireplace system should be removed, along with the surrounding façade. It’s a multi-day process for professionals such as Butler Chimneys. The project creates an opportunity, though, for a homeowner to pursue improvements they might have already thought about.
Many grab the moment to change over from wood burning to gas. Though not possessing the heat generation 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 heat, this design has traditional aesthetics that many find comforting. An open fireplace is far less expensive, too – typically one-third the cost of a replacement insert.
The façade buttressing the fireplace can be totally redesigned, 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 welcome feature in Utica homes for multiple reasons. Realistically, these benefits carry 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 co-exist with its risks.