Wayne fireplace repair
Fireplace Repair? For Safety’s Sake, You Could Need a Fireplace Replacement
Many things can transpire during erection of a Wayne home – not all good.
A new Wayne house has myriad working elements. Some need very specific installations to operate safely and properly. House builders, while good at many things, are often not 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 generate risks that threaten life and home: carbon monoxide escaping. Smoke backup. Live embers escaping onto outside surfaces.
Safety risks with a fireplace insert are often uncovered during a fireplace inspection and cleaning in Wayne. Sometimes a fireplace repair is not possible. If the fireplace is compromised, a complete fireplace replacement is required.
Regular 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 Wayne, ensures that a fireplace is operating properly and your family protected.
Safety threats can be discovered with both gas and wood-burning fireplaces. More often than not, the culprit is incorrect installation. Typically an issue isn’t viewable 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 changed, it must be substituted with the exact manufacturer’s part. Aftermarket parts are notorious for causing issues such as smoke backup, or exhaust not drafting correctly. If a fireplace sparks a house fire, insurance coverage could be turned down if substitute aftermarket parts were involved.
Often, though, conditions demand a complete fireplace replacement. A box with rust is automatically marked as unsafe. If a fan stops functioning, replacement is not an option. A degraded refractory panel must be replaced.
In these cases, the complete fireplace system should be uninstalled, along with the surrounding façade. It’s a multi-day process for professionals such as Butler Chimneys. The project creates a window, though, for a homeowner to make improvements they might have already considered.
Many use the opportunity to transition from wood burning to gas. Though lacking the heat generation of wood, gas is far more user friendly (and less labor intensive) as fuel.
Others might opt for an open wood-burning fireplace, rather than enclosed. While a net negative for heat, this design has traditional 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 majorly redesigned, too. Tile, stone or brick veneer, or composite wood are popular choices. The hearth might be reimagined in limestone, tile, brick or stone. The mantle can be reworked to resemble steel or wood.
Fireplaces are a welcome feature in Wayne homes for multiple reasons. Realistically, these benefits carry potential 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 initially, doesn’t mean you have to co-exist with its risks.