Okauchee fireplace repair
Fireplace Repair? For Safety’s Sake, You Could Require a Fireplace Replacement
Many things can transpire during erection of a Okauchee residence – not all desirable.
A new Okauchee home has multiple working components. Some require very specific installations to work safely and efficiently. House builders, while proficient at many things, are rarely experts in the precise installations of every mechanical element.
Enclosed fireplaces are often one. While welcomed for their cheery ambiance and effective space heating, wrong installation of fireplace inserts can create hazards that threaten life and home: carbon monoxide leakage. Smoke backup. Live embers escaping onto outside surfaces.
Safety concerns with a fireplace insert are often revealed during a fireplace inspection and cleaning in Okauchee. Periodically a fireplace repair is not feasible. If the fireplace is compromised, a complete fireplace replacement is needed.
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 Okauchee, ensures that a fireplace is functioning correctly and your family safeguarded.
Safety problems can be identified with both gas and wood-burning fireplaces. More regularly than not, the culprit is incorrect installation. Often a problem isn’t identifiable from outside the fireplace – a closer look inside, by a trained eye, discovers a compromised joint, section or non-working part.
If a part can be replaced, 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 causes a house fire, insurance benefits could be denied if substitute aftermarket parts were involved.
Often, though, conditions mandate a total fireplace replacement. A box with rust is automatically marked as unsafe. If a fan stops working, replacement is not an option. A degraded refractory panel has to be replaced.
In these situations, the entire fireplace system should be removed, along with the surrounding façade. It’s a multi-day process for professionals such as Butler Chimneys. The project creates an opportunity, though, for a homeowner to pursue improvements they might have already considered.
Many use the opportunity to convert from wood burning to gas. Though lacking the heat production of wood, gas is far more convenient (and less labor intensive) as fuel.
Others might choose an open wood-burning fireplace, rather than enclosed. While a net minus for warmth, this design has old-fashioned aesthetics that many find charming. An open fireplace is far less expensive, too – typically one-third the cost 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 wanted feature in Okauchee homes for multiple 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 work wasn’t done properly initially, doesn’t mean you have to co-exist with its risks.