Family-owned prefab fireplace repair serving Bithlo

Finding the rating plate on your fireplace

Every listed factory-built fireplace carries a rating plate with the maker, the model and the serial number. One maker's manual places it on the smoke shelf, just inside the top of the opening, and the manual for your model shows where yours sits.

We find and read that plate before discussing any part. With the fireplace cold, you can often spot it yourself with a flashlight, and writing down the model and serial number before you call speeds up the parts search.

• Maker's name
• Model name or number
• Serial number
• Listing information

How often a factory-built chimney should be checked

NFPA 211 expects a yearly inspection of every chimney, fireplace and vent. One maker goes further for its wood-burning fireplaces, saying the chimney should be inspected at least twice a year during the heating season to see when deposits have built up.

The same maker says deposits of 1/8 inch or more should be removed. Cleaning is booked as its own service when it is due, and the repair visit notes what the flue looks like.

Room drafts near the opening

One maker's location advice for its factory-built fireplaces is to avoid places affected by drafts, air conditioning ducts, windows or doors. A supply register blowing across the opening can push smoke out of the firebox.

When a unit smokes only on certain days, we check what is blowing at it. Moving or redirecting a register is often a simpler fix than any fireplace repair.

• Supply registers near the opening
• Doors and windows in the room
• Return grilles pulling air

What the free prefab inspection covers

The free inspection is a real look at the fireplace. We find the rating plate, check every refractory panel and retainer, work the damper, look at the doors or screen and check the chimney pipe from the firebox and, where reachable, from the attic or roof.

You get the findings in plain words and a written estimate with upfront pricing. Book the repair within 72 hours after the inspection and take 10% off.

• Rating plate found and read
• Every panel and retainer checked
• Damper, doors or screen tested
• Chimney pipe checked where reachable