Fireplace repair and maintenance in Goldenrod

Finding the rating label without taking anything apart

The Florida Building Code requires a factory-built fireplace to be listed and labeled, and that label usually carries the maker, the model and the listing details our technicians need before ordering parts. Where it sits varies from one maker to the next, and the owner manual for your model may show the spot.

Look only where you can see without tools. Do not pull panels, unscrew trim or reach into a unit that was used recently. If the label is hard to find, a note of what you did see is plenty to start with.

Our crew reads the label on site and writes the model on your estimate, so every part we quote matches the fireplace it goes into.

• The maker's name on the label or the firebox
• A model or serial number
• The owner manual, if it came with the house
• Invoices from any earlier repair

What the listing on a factory-built unit means

Under the Florida Building Code, a factory-built fireplace carries a listing and label, is tested to UL 127 and goes in only within the terms of that listing. In plain terms, the maker tested the fireplace as a complete system, with its own parts, clearances and accessories, and the label says so.

That listing follows the fireplace for its whole working life. A repair that changes the parts, the clearances or what is fitted inside can take the unit outside the conditions it was tested under. That is why repairs on these units start with the manual and not with a trip to the hardware store.

The estimate we write in Goldenrod names the model, the listed parts we plan to use and any condition from the manual that affects the job. You can see at a glance that the repair keeps the fireplace inside its listing.

A sagging or cracked lintel over the opening

The lintel carries the masonry above the fireplace opening. The Florida Building Code requires it to be noncombustible, with bearing on each end of the opening. Where it sits behind the face, the signs of trouble show in the masonry around it.

Trouble can show as a crack running up from a top corner of the opening or bricks above the opening dropping slightly. Where the lintel is a steel angle, rust can bow it, and water from a leak higher on the chimney may be feeding that rust.

Our technicians look at the lintel, the brick it carries and the ends where it rests. A rusted angle may be cleaned and protected, or it may need replacing with the masonry above supported during the work. That is a bigger job, and the estimate explains the steps and the face repair that follows.

Mesh curtains and screens that sag or tear

NFPA advises a sturdy fireplace screen to stop sparks flying into the room. Many fireplaces have mesh curtains that hang from a rod and slide open, and those curtains can tear, sag, wear through at the bottom or come off their rings.

A gap at the side, a hole low in the mesh or a curtain that will not close fully lets sparks and rolling embers reach the hearth and beyond. A freestanding screen that does not fit the opening does the same thing.

Torn mesh is replaced, rods and rings are renewed and curtains are adjusted so they meet in the middle. On factory-built units, screens come from the maker's parts list. For masonry fireplaces, we measure the opening and fit a screen that covers it. Screen parts are listed with their sizes, which makes a future replacement simple.