Summit Corners fireplace repair
Fireplace Repair? For Safety’s Sake, You Might Require a Fireplace Replacement
Many things can happen during building of a Summit Corners house – not all good.
A new Summit Corners home has many working parts. Some need very specific installations to operate safely and properly. House builders, while good at many things, are hardly ever experts in the detailed installations of every mechanical element.
Enclosed fireplaces are a prime example. While desired for their comforting ambiance and efficient room 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 threats with a fireplace insert are often identified during a fireplace inspection and cleaning in Summit Corners. Sometimes a fireplace repair is not workable. If the fireplace is compromised, a total fireplace replacement is required.
Regular fireplace inspections are always prudent, for both safety and operational efficiency. Hiring a professional service such as Butler Chimneys, your fireplace and chimney inspection company in Summit Corners, ensures that a fireplace is functioning correctly and your family protected.
Safety problems can be discovered with both gas and wood-burning fireplaces. More regularly than not, the culprit is improper installation. Usually a problem isn’t viewable from outside the fireplace – a closer check inside, by a trained eye, identifies 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 generating problems such as smoke backup, or exhaust not drafting properly. If a fireplace causes a house fire, insurance benefits could be denied if substitute aftermarket parts were used.
Often, though, conditions require a complete fireplace replacement. A box with rust is automatically marked as unsafe. If a fan stops operating, replacement is not an option. A degraded refractory panel has to be replaced.
In these examples, the complete fireplace system should be taken out, along with the surrounding façade. It’s a multi-day undertaking for professionals such as Butler Chimneys. The project creates an opportunity, though, for a homeowner to make improvements they might have already thought about.
Many use the moment to convert 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 minus for warmth, this design has traditional 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 completely redesigned, as well. Tile, stone or brick veneer, or composite wood are popular selections. The hearth might be reimagined in limestone, tile, brick or stone. The mantle can be reworked to resemble steel or wood.
Fireplaces are a wanted feature in Summit Corners homes for many reasons. Realistically, these benefits involve potential 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 correctly the first time, doesn’t mean you have to co-exist with its risks.