Horns Corners fireplace repair

Fireplace Repair? For Safety’s Sake, You Might Require a Fireplace Replacement

Many things can transpire during erection of a Horns Corners house – not all wanted.

A new Horns Corners house has multiple working parts. Some require very detailed installations to work safely and properly. Home builders, while good at many things, are not always experts in the detailed installations of every mechanical element.

Enclosed fireplaces are a prime example. While enjoyed for their comfy ambiance and effective room heating, wrong installation of fireplace inserts can create risks that threaten life and home: carbon monoxide escaping. Smoke backup. Live embers flying onto outside surfaces.

Safety risks with a fireplace insert are often revealed during a fireplace inspection and cleaning in Horns Corners. Sometimes a fireplace repair is not possible. If the fireplace is compromised, a total fireplace replacement is required.

Recurring 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 Horns Corners, ensures that a fireplace is working correctly and your family safeguarded.

Safety issues can be identified with both gas and wood-burning fireplaces. More often than not, the reason is improper installation. Typically a problem isn’t noticeable from outside the fireplace – a closer look inside, by a trained eye, identifies a compromised joint, section or non-working part.

If a part can be changed, it must be substituted with the duplicate manufacturer’s part. Aftermarket parts are infamous for generating problems such as smoke backup, or exhaust not drafting correctly. If a fireplace ignites a house fire, insurance coverage could be denied if substitute aftermarket parts were involved.

Often, though, conditions require a total fireplace replacement. A box with rust is automatically flagged as unsafe. If a fan stops functioning, replacement is not a choice. A degraded refractory panel must be replaced.

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

Many seize the opportunity to convert 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 choose an open wood-burning fireplace, rather than enclosed. While a net negative for heat, this design has old-fashioned aesthetics that many find charming. An open fireplace is far less pricey, too – typically one-third the cost of a replacement insert.

The façade around 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 Horns Corners homes for multiple reasons. Realistically, these benefits come with 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 right the first time, doesn’t mean you have to co-exist with its risks.