Franklin fireplace repair
Fireplace Repair? For Safety’s Sake, You Might Need a Fireplace Replacement
Many things can occur during building of a Franklin home – not all good.
A new Franklin home has myriad working components. Some need very detailed installations to work safely and properly. Home builders, while proficient at many things, are rarely experts in the detailed installations of every mechanical element.
Enclosed fireplaces are a prime example. While welcomed for their comforting ambiance and effective room heating, wrong installation of fireplace inserts can generate risks that threaten life and home: carbon monoxide escaping. Smoke backup. Live embers leaping onto outside surfaces.
Safety risks with a fireplace insert are often discovered during a fireplace inspection and cleaning in Franklin. Occasionally a fireplace repair is not possible. If the fireplace is compromised, a complete fireplace replacement is required.
Regular fireplace inspections are always recommended, for both safety and operational efficiency. Hiring a professional service such as Butler Chimneys, your fireplace and chimney inspection company in Franklin, ensures that a fireplace is operating correctly and your family protected.
Safety threats can be uncovered with both gas and wood-burning fireplaces. More often than not, the culprit is incorrect installation. Often an issue isn’t obvious from outside the fireplace – a closer look inside, by a trained eye, finds a compromised joint, section or non-working part.
If a part can be replaced, it must be swapped out with the duplicate manufacturer’s part. Aftermarket parts are infamous for creating issues such as smoke backup, or exhaust not drafting correctly. If a fireplace sparks 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 marked as unsafe. If a fan stops operating, replacement is not a choice. A degraded refractory panel must be replaced.
In these cases, 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 work creates a window, though, for a homeowner to pursue improvements they might have already considered.
Many grab the opportunity to convert from wood burning to gas. Though without the heat production of wood, gas is far more convenient (and less labor intensive) as fuel.
Others might opt for 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 costly, too – typically one-third the price of a replacement insert.
The façade buttressing the fireplace can be totally reworked, 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 resemble steel or wood.
Fireplaces are a desirable feature in Franklin homes for many reasons. Realistically, these benefits involve possible 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 something wasn’t done right the first time, doesn’t mean you have to live with its risks.