Family-owned prefab fireplace repair serving Bal Bay

Signs a fireplace has been overfired

Overfiring means running a fire hotter than the fireplace was designed for. One maker lists its symptoms as cracking, warping or burning out of components, plated accessories changing color and glass that develops a haze cleaning will not remove.

The same maker names causes such as burning scrap lumber, pine branches, paper or cardboard boxes in amounts beyond a normal log fire, and burning trash or treated material. Overfiring damage falls outside its warranty, so we look for these signs early in any repair.

• Cracked panels or burned-out parts
• Warped steel
• Plated trim that has changed color
• Glass haze that will not clean off

Haze on the door glass that cleaning will not remove

A haze on fireplace door glass that will not come off with cleaning is one of the overfiring signs one maker lists. Ordinary soot film cleans off with the right cleaner.

If the haze stays, we look for other signs of excessive heat before replacing the glass, so the new pane is spared the same damage.

• Haze that cleaning will not lift
• Warped steel near the top
• Cracked or burned-out parts
• Discolored plated trim

Clearances between the unit and the framing

Zero clearance describes a design, and the design still has clearances. One maker's model lists minimum clearances to combustibles at the back and sides of the fireplace, to the ceiling, in front of the opening and to the outer pipe of the chimney.

Remodels sometimes push framing, backer board or trim tighter than those figures. We compare what we can see with the manual for your model and list any clearance that needs correcting.

• Back and sides of the unit
• Ceiling above it
• Floor space in front of the opening
• Outer pipe of the chimney

Minimum chimney height on a factory-built system

Factory-built fireplaces are tested with a minimum and a maximum chimney height. One maker's model needs at least 16 feet from the base of the fireplace to the top of the termination for a straight flue, more with two sets of elbows and no more than 50 feet in all, while a different model from the same maker sets 12 feet above the appliance as its minimum.

A chimney shortened during a roof job, or a system that was always short, can explain a stubborn draft problem. We measure the system against your model's figures.