Wood burning fireplace repair in Dixie Belle

The passage above the firebox and the flue

Smoke leaves the firebox through the throat, past the damper and into the smoke chamber before it reaches the flue. For a masonry fireplace, the Florida Building Code says that whole passageway cannot be smaller in cross-section than the flue it feeds. When something narrows it, smoke has less room to leave and more reason to turn back toward the opening.

Narrowing can come from a damper that only opens partway, a warped plate, debris on the smoke shelf, fallen masonry or an earlier alteration that reduced the throat. Some of these are fixed from the firebox. Others need smoke chamber or damper work.

From below, we look at the passage and compare the damper opening with the size of the flue. The estimate names what is narrowing the passage and which repair opens it back up, with separate lines for any work above the damper.

Drafts from a fireplace sitting unused

Between fires, the fireplace is an opening in the house. If the damper is left open, has warped or no longer seats, cooled indoor air can slip up the chimney while outdoor air and odors come down. You may feel it as a draft at the hearth or notice the room around the fireplace is harder to keep comfortable.

The fix depends on the damper. A throat damper that no longer seals may be repaired or replaced. A top-sealing damper at the top of the flue is another option, quoted as its own job. Glass doors can help on a masonry fireplace, provided they suit that fireplace.

With the fireplace cold, our crew closes the damper, looks at how it seals and tells you which option fits. In Dixie Belle, the estimate compares the choices side by side, so you can weigh them without pressure.

Oversized fires and the parts they damage

A fire built bigger than the fireplace was made for pushes every part harder. Firebrick may crack and joints open, a steel damper may warp, door frames distort, screen mesh wears through and, in a factory-built unit, panels crack.

Big fires often come from burning scrap lumber, boxes, wrapping paper or large loads of small wood at once. EPA wood-burning guidance lists household trash, cardboard and scrap materials such as plywood among the things that should not be burned at all.

When our technicians see overheating damage, they say so plainly and repair the parts involved. The written record we leave in Dixie Belle includes simple guidance on fire size for your fireplace, because the next oversized fire could undo the repair. It covers the load of wood and the size of fire that suits the firebox you have.

Parts to leave alone until the repair visit

A fireplace fault invites a quick home fix, and some are harmless. Others make the real repair harder or larger than it needed to be.

Each of these can bend a part that could have been saved, break a panel that was only cracked or hide the fault from the person who has to find it. On a factory-built unit, removing listed parts can also take the fireplace outside its listing.

If something is loose, leave it where it is and stop using the fireplace. Our technicians then see the fault exactly as it happened, which makes the diagnosis faster. A short description over the phone is all we need to plan a visit in Dixie Belle.

• Forcing a stuck damper handle or pulling on its linkage
• Prying at cracked panels in a factory-built firebox
• Filling firebox cracks with caulk or ordinary mortar
• Removing trim, hoods or grilles from a factory-built face