Kohler fireplace repair
Fireplace Repair? For Safety’s Sake, You Could Require a Fireplace Replacement
Many things can happen during construction of a Kohler home – not all welcome.
A new Kohler house has myriad working components. Some involve very specific installations to operate safely and efficiently. House builders, while good at many things, are rarely experts in the detailed installations of every mechanical element.
Enclosed fireplaces are one example. While welcomed for their comfy ambiance and efficient room heating, wrong installation of fireplace inserts can generate risks that threaten life and home: carbon monoxide leakage. Smoke backup. Live embers flying onto outside surfaces.
Safety issues with a fireplace insert are often found during a fireplace inspection and cleaning in Kohler. Sometimes a fireplace repair is not possible. If the fireplace is compromised, a complete fireplace replacement is needed.
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 Kohler, ensures that a fireplace is functioning properly and your loved ones safeguarded.
Safety issues can be found with both gas and wood-burning fireplaces. More regularly than not, the source is improper installation. Typically an issue isn’t noticeable from outside the fireplace – a closer inspection inside, by a trained eye, spots a compromised joint, section or non-working part.
If a part can be changed, 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 involved.
Often, though, conditions require a complete fireplace replacement. A box with rust is immediately flagged as unsafe. If a fan stops functioning, replacement is not an option. A degraded refractory panel has to be replaced.
In these cases, the total fireplace system should be taken out, along with the nearby 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 thought about.
Many seize 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 old-fashioned 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 totally reworked, as well. 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 wanted feature in Kohler homes for many reasons. Realistically, these benefits entail 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 right the first time, doesn’t mean you have to co-exist with its risks.