Your prefab fireplace, repaired to its manual in Hunter's Creek

A factory-built fireplace is a tested system

A prefab or zero-clearance fireplace is a steel firebox assembly built in a factory and tested together with its own chimney under UL 127, the standard for factory-built fireplaces. Under section R1004.1 of the Florida Building Code, Residential, these units must carry a listing and a label, and they go in only as that listing allows.

Repair follows the same logic. A part that keeps the unit inside its listing is the maker's part for that model, installed the way the manual shows. Our pros start every prefab fireplace repair from that point.

Warped firebox metal

Steel that has bowed, buckled or pulled away from its fasteners inside the firebox has been heated beyond its design. Warping can open seams in the firebox, loosen panels and change clearances around the unit.

Some firebox parts are replaceable and some are not. We check the parts list for your model, show you which damaged parts can be replaced in the field and tell you plainly when warping has gone past what repair can fix.

• Bowed or buckled firebox walls
• Seams pulled open
• Panels loosened by movement
• Parts list checked for what can be replaced

A damper stuck open or closed

A damper blade that will not open fully restricts the smoke path, and one that will not close lets cooled indoor air escape up the chimney between fires. In a factory-built unit, the fix depends on the model's own handle, blade and weight parts.

We check whether the trouble is rust, a bent part or a missing piece, then order the matching part. If the damper belongs to an assembly marked not field replaceable, we tell you before discussing other options.

Birds and animals in a metal chimney

A metal chimney with a damaged or missing termination screen can take in birds, squirrels and nesting material. Nests in a narrow round flue block the smoke path quickly.

Animal removal is its own service, and we schedule it first when an animal is present. Afterward, the prefab repair replaces the damaged termination with the listed part so the flue stays closed to wildlife.

• Animal removal scheduled first
• Nesting material cleared
• Termination replaced with the listed part
• Pipe below checked for damage