Fireplace repair and maintenance in Bel Air

Water in the firebox comes from higher up

Water in the firebox, rust streaks on the back wall or damp ash after rain are fireplace symptoms with a cause somewhere else. The water is usually getting in higher up the chimney and running down until it reaches the fireplace.

Repairing the firebox without stopping the water means repairing it again. Wet firebrick, a rusted damper or a water-damaged panel in a factory-built unit can keep failing for as long as the source stays open.

During the visit in Bel Air, our technician records the water damage inside the fireplace and routes the source to our chimney leak repair service, which traces where the water enters. Once the leak is fixed, the fireplace repairs follow, in that order, and both appear on one plan so nothing falls through the gap between two visits.

Broken panes and doors that bind on their tracks

Fireplace door glass is made to handle heat, but it can still crack from a knock or a door swung shut too hard. A cracked or broken pane should not be used until it is replaced, and the new glass has to be the type that door was made for.

Bifold and sliding doors also wear at their tracks and hinges. Ash settles in the channel, pins bend and panels drag or jump off the track.

We clean the tracks, straighten or replace pins and fit glass made for that door. On a factory-built unit, door and glass parts come from the maker's list for that model.

• Cracked or missing glass panes
• Panels that drag, stick or leave the track
• Hinge pins bent or missing
• Handles and pulls that have worked loose

Three feet of clear space around the fire

NFPA heating safety tips say to keep anything that can burn at least three feet from heating equipment, including the fireplace. The U.S. Fire Administration gives the same advice. That covers furniture, curtains, rugs, holiday decor, stacked firewood and the kindling basket.

Rooms change over time. A new sofa, a bigger rug or a decorated mantel can creep into that space without anyone noticing, and a fire that sat well clear last year may sit closer to things that burn this year. Garlands hung from the mantel for the holidays are one example.

During a fireplace service call in Bel Air, our technician points out anything inside that three-foot area and suggests where it could go instead. It is quick and costs nothing, and the note goes onto your written record with the rest of the visit.

Workmanship warranty and our 100% satisfaction guarantee

Our workmanship warranty covers every fireplace repair we do. If a repair we made does not hold up as it should, whether that is a reset hearth tile that loosens or a damper linkage that slips, we come back and put it right.

Our 100% satisfaction guarantee sits alongside it. Before we leave, our technician walks you through the finished work, shows you the parts that were replaced and demonstrates how the damper, doors or screen now operate. If something is not right, tell us then or later.

The written record lists the work covered, so there is no question afterward about what was repaired and with what. Parts from a fireplace maker may carry the maker's own terms, and we pass those details on with the paperwork. Both promises are in writing, on the same record as the parts list.