Metal fireplace and chimney repair in Lake Underhill

Finding the rating plate on your fireplace

Every listed factory-built fireplace carries a rating plate with the maker, the model and the serial number. One maker's manual places it on the smoke shelf, just inside the top of the opening, and the manual for your model shows where yours sits.

We find and read that plate before discussing any part. With the fireplace cold, you can often spot it yourself with a flashlight, and writing down the model and serial number before you call speeds up the parts search.

• Maker's name
• Model name or number
• Serial number
• Listing information

Factory-built fireplaces in manufactured homes

Some factory-built fireplaces are approved for manufactured homes. One maker's manual allows installation in an aftermarket, permanently located manufactured home, forbids installation in a sleeping room of a mobile home and says the structural integrity of the home's floor, walls and ceiling or roof must be maintained.

Repairs in a manufactured home follow those limits, with the unit's manual and listing checked first. We discuss any cut into framing with you and the manual before it happens.

• Unit approved for manufactured homes
• No installation in a sleeping room
• Floor, walls and roof structure kept intact

Refacing a factory-built fireplace

Refacing a prefab fireplace with stone, tile or a new surround is a popular upgrade. The rules for the face, including what may overlap it, which mortar or adhesive may be used and which openings stay clear, come from the unit's manual.

We check those rules before the design is final and flag conflicts early. When a refacing project uncovers damage behind the old surround, the repair is priced separately so you can see both jobs clearly.

Keeping the fireplace records together

Paperwork is part of a prefab fireplace. One maker asks the installer to leave the manual with the appliance and asks the owner to keep it for future reference, with the model, serial number and installation date recorded.

We add our own record to that file, with the parts replaced, their numbers and the date. The next person who services the fireplace, or the next owner of the house, starts with the full history.