Cedar Lake fireplace repair

Fireplace Repair? For Safety’s Sake, You Could Need a Fireplace Replacement

Many things can transpire during erection of a Cedar Lake residence – not all good.

A new Cedar Lake residence has myriad working elements. Some involve very detailed installations to work safely and properly. Home builders, while skilled at many things, are often not experts in the precise installations of every mechanical element.

Enclosed fireplaces are often one. While desired for their comforting ambiance and effective space heating, improper installation of fireplace inserts can generate hazards that threaten life and home: carbon monoxide leakage. Smoke backup. Live embers escaping onto outside surfaces.

Safety risks with a fireplace insert are often revealed during a fireplace inspection and cleaning in Cedar Lake. Sometimes a fireplace repair is not feasible. If the fireplace is compromised, a complete fireplace replacement is required.

Recurring fireplace inspections are always wise, for both safety and operational efficiency. Hiring an expert such as Butler Chimneys, your fireplace and chimney inspection company in Cedar Lake, ensures that a fireplace is functioning properly and your family safeguarded.

Safety concerns can be found with both gas and wood-burning fireplaces. More regularly than not, the source is improper installation. Often an issue isn’t obvious from outside the fireplace – a closer inspection 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 duplicate 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 denied if substitute aftermarket parts were involved.

Often, though, conditions mandate a complete 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 has to be replaced.

In these situations, the entire fireplace system should be uninstalled, along with the surrounding façade. It’s a multi-day undertaking for professionals such as Butler Chimneys. The work creates an opportunity, though, for a homeowner to pursue improvements they might have already considered.

Many grab 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 choose 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 – usually one-third the cost of a replacement insert.

The façade buttressing the fireplace can be completely 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 welcome feature in Cedar Lake homes for a variety of reasons. Realistically, these benefits involve possible 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 correctly initially, doesn’t mean you have to co-exist with its risks.