Refractory panels and prefab fireplace parts replaced in Horizon West

Air spaces that must stay empty

Clearances around a factory-built fireplace and its chimney are air spaces, and one maker's manual warns against packing required air spaces with insulation or other materials. The same maker says blown insulation is never to be used to fill the chimney enclosure.

Stuffed insulation, stored boxes and leftover lumber in a chase or around the unit turn up on repair visits. We clear what we can reach and point out anything that needs removal before the fireplace is used.

What stays away from the fireplace

Owner manuals for factory-built fireplaces carry a short safety list. One maker's list includes keeping gasoline and other flammable liquids away, keeping clothing and flammable materials off and away from the appliance, keeping furniture and drapes clear and never leaving children unattended while a fire is burning.

We mention these points again after a repair, because a new part is only as safe as the way the fireplace is used.

• Flammable liquids kept away
• Clothing and fabrics off the unit
• Furniture and drapes clear
• Children supervised near a fire

Earlier repairs with the wrong materials

Prefab fireplaces sometimes arrive at a repair visit carrying old fixes, such as a panel patched with mortar, a crack covered with cement, sheet metal screwed over a hole or a pipe section borrowed from another system.

We identify those repairs, explain why they fall outside the listing and replace them with listed parts where they are available. Old patches are removed carefully so the steel behind them can be checked.

• Mortar on panels
• Cement over cracks
• Sheet metal over holes
• Pipe from another system

Same-day prefab visits

Same-day service is available when the schedule allows, which helps when a cracked panel or a stuck damper turns up just before you planned a fire.

A same-day visit covers the inspection and the written estimate. Parts for a factory-built fireplace usually come from the maker, so the repair itself is booked once they arrive.

• Inspection and written estimate the same day
• Parts ordered from the maker
• Repair booked when the parts arrive