Marcy fireplace repair
Fireplace Repair? For Safety’s Sake, You Could Need a Fireplace Replacement
Many things can occur during construction of a Marcy home – not all good.
A new Marcy house has multiple working parts. Some need very detailed installations to function safely and efficiently. House builders, while proficient at many things, are not always experts in the precise installations of every mechanical component.
Enclosed fireplaces are one example. While welcomed for their cheery ambiance and effective space heating, improper installation of fireplace inserts can cause risks that threaten life and home: carbon monoxide escaping. Smoke backup. Live embers escaping onto outside surfaces.
Safety issues with a fireplace insert are often identified during a fireplace inspection and cleaning in Marcy. Periodically a fireplace repair is not workable. If the fireplace is compromised, a total fireplace replacement is necessitated.
Regular 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 Marcy, ensures that a fireplace is working correctly and your family protected.
Safety problems can be revealed with both gas and wood-burning fireplaces. More often than not, the source is improper installation. Typically a problem isn’t noticeable from outside the fireplace – a closer check inside, by a trained eye, finds a compromised joint, section or non-working part.
If a part can be replaced, it must be substituted 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 turned down if substitute aftermarket parts were used.
Often, though, conditions require a total fireplace replacement. A box with rust is automatically identified as unsafe. If a fan stops working, replacement is not a choice. A degraded refractory panel must be replaced.
In these situations, the total fireplace system should be removed, along with the surrounding façade. It’s a multi-day undertaking for professionals such as Butler Chimneys. The work creates a window, though, for a homeowner to pursue improvements they might have already thought about.
Many seize the opportunity to change over 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 heat, this design has traditional aesthetics that many find comforting. An open fireplace is far less expensive, too – typically one-third the price of a replacement insert.
The façade surrounding the fireplace can be majorly redesigned, as well. 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 Marcy homes for multiple reasons. Realistically, these benefits come with 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 something wasn’t done right initially, doesn’t mean you have to live with its risks.