Fireplace repair for Lake Como homes

Wood fireplace repair reaches past the firebox

People tend to picture wood burning fireplace repair as fixing cracked brick at the back of the box. The firebox is only one part of the system. A wood fire also works the damper, the throat above it, the hearth in front, the lintel over the opening and the doors or screen that keep sparks in.

Heat and ash wear each of those parts in a different way. A steel plate may warp or rust over time, while joints open, tile loosens as a hearth moves and screen mesh wears thin. A plan that looks at one part can miss the one that caused the call.

On a service call we follow the path of the fire, from the grate up to the damper, and record each finding separately. You decide what to fix now and what can wait, with our honest view on which items affect safe use and which are cosmetic.

Rebuild the firebox or fit an insert

When a masonry firebox is badly worn, there are two honest paths. One is to repair or rebuild the firebrick lining in refractory mortar so the open fireplace works as built. The other is to keep the masonry as a shell and install an insert, which EPA wood-burning guidance describes as a wood stove designed to fit inside an existing fireplace.

The choice usually follows how you use the room. Homeowners who want the look and crackle of an open fire tend to choose the repair. Those who want more warmth from the same wood often lean toward an insert.

Our crew in Lake Como prices the firebox repair and explains what an insert would change, then passes insert work to our fireplace insert installation service if that is your choice. Neither option is pushed, and both are written out so you can compare them at home.

Unvented gas logs and factory-built fireplaces

An unvented gas log set releases its combustion products into the room rather than up a chimney. The Florida Building Code keeps unvented gas log heaters out of factory-built fireplaces, except where that fireplace system was tested, listed and labeled to take one.

When unvented logs turn up in a factory-built unit, our technicians check the label and the manual for that permission. If it is not there, we explain the rule and do not service the logs in that fireplace. Gas log work and venting questions belong to our gas fireplace repair service, which picks up from there.

If the fireplace was built for wood and the logs came with the house, the written finding helps you choose between going back to wood and a listed gas option. Our crew in Lake Como writes that finding on the estimate.

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 Lake Como.

• 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