Waterville fireplace repair
Fireplace Repair? For Safety’s Sake, You Might Need a Fireplace Replacement
Many things can happen during construction of a Waterville house – not all desirable.
A new Waterville residence has myriad working parts. Some involve very specific installations to function safely and according to plan. House builders, while good at many things, are often not experts in the precise installations of every mechanical part.
Enclosed fireplaces are often one. While welcomed for their comforting ambiance and effective room heating, incorrect installation of fireplace inserts can generate hazards that threaten life and home: carbon monoxide escaping. Smoke backup. Live embers leaping onto outside surfaces.
Safety problems with a fireplace insert are often uncovered during a fireplace inspection and cleaning in Waterville. Sometimes a fireplace repair is not possible. If the fireplace is compromised, a complete fireplace replacement is required.
Regular 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 Waterville, ensures that a fireplace is working correctly and your family protected.
Safety problems can be found with both gas and wood-burning fireplaces. More often than not, the culprit is incorrect installation. Typically a problem isn’t noticeable 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 exact manufacturer’s part. Aftermarket parts are infamous for generating issues such as smoke backup, or exhaust not drafting properly. If a fireplace ignites a house fire, insurance coverage could be denied if substitute aftermarket parts were involved.
Often, though, conditions demand a total 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 situations, the total 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 opportunity to change over from wood burning to gas. Though without the heat generation 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 warmth, this design has old-fashioned aesthetics that many find comforting. An open fireplace is far less costly, too – typically one-third the cost of a replacement insert.
The façade around the fireplace can be majorly redesigned, too. Tile, stone or brick veneer, or composite wood are popular options. 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 wanted feature in Waterville homes for a variety of reasons. Realistically, these benefits carry 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 properly initially, doesn’t mean you have to co-exist with its risks.