Greenfield fireplace repair
Fireplace Repair? For Safety’s Sake, You Could Need a Fireplace Replacement
Many things can transpire during building of a Greenfield residence – not all good.
A new Greenfield residence has many working elements. Some require very exacting installations to work safely and according to plan. House builders, while good at many things, are not always experts in the precise installations of every mechanical element.
Enclosed fireplaces are one example. While enjoyed for their cheery ambiance and effective room heating, wrong installation of fireplace inserts can create hazards that threaten life and home: carbon monoxide escaping. Smoke backup. Live embers flying onto outside surfaces.
Safety concerns with a fireplace insert are often uncovered during a fireplace inspection and cleaning in Greenfield. Periodically a fireplace repair is not workable. If the fireplace is compromised, a complete fireplace replacement is necessitated.
Regular fireplace inspections are always advisable, for both safety and operational efficiency. Hiring a professional service such as Butler Chimneys, your fireplace and chimney inspection company in Greenfield, ensures that a fireplace is working correctly and your loved ones protected.
Safety concerns can be revealed with both gas and wood-burning fireplaces. More often than not, the cause is incorrect installation. Typically a problem isn’t identifiable 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 notorious for creating 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 used.
Often, though, conditions merit a total fireplace replacement. A box with rust is automatically identified as unsafe. If a fan stops functioning, replacement is not a choice. A degraded refractory panel must be replaced.
In these examples, the total fireplace system should be taken out, along with the surrounding façade. It’s a multi-day undertaking for professionals such as Butler Chimneys. The project creates a window, though, for a homeowner to institute improvements they might have already considered.
Many use the opportunity to transition from wood burning to gas. Though without the heat production of wood, gas is far more user friendly (and less labor intensive) as fuel.
Others might select an open wood-burning fireplace, rather than enclosed. While a net negative 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 around the fireplace can be completely reworked, 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 desirable feature in Greenfield homes for a variety of 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 installation wasn’t done properly the first time, doesn’t mean you have to live with its risks.