Factory-built fireplaces repaired with listed parts in Lancaster Park

The damper in a factory-built fireplace

A factory-built fireplace has its own damper, a blade near the top of the firebox worked by a handle on the front face. In one maker's design, pushing the handle up through a keyway frees the weighted blade to open, and pushing it down locks the blade closed.

Bent handles, worn keyways and blades that stick open or closed are repaired with the model's own parts. We check how the damper moves and seals, and add damper work to the estimate only when it is needed.

• Handle and keyway
• Weighted blade
• Open and locked positions
• Seal when closed

Doors fully open or fully closed

Door habits matter on a prefab unit. One maker's manual says that while the fireplace is burning, glass doors must be fully opened or fully closed, because doors left partly open may draw flame out of the opening.

The same manual notes that a fireplace with glass doors has a limited air supply, and that too large a fire behind closed doors builds excessive heat. We go over those habits after any door repair so the new glass lasts.

Haze on the door glass that cleaning will not remove

A haze on fireplace door glass that will not come off with cleaning is one of the overfiring signs one maker lists. Ordinary soot film cleans off with the right cleaner.

If the haze stays, we look for other signs of excessive heat before replacing the glass, so the new pane is spared the same damage.

• Haze that cleaning will not lift
• Warped steel near the top
• Cracked or burned-out parts
• Discolored plated trim

Dents and damage in the inner flue

The stainless inner flue of a factory-built chimney carries the smoke and heat. Dents from dropped tools, crushed sections from roof work and separated joints narrow or break that path.

We note damage we can see from the firebox and the top, and replace damaged sections with the same maker's pipe. Where a stretch cannot be seen, the estimate says so plainly.

• Dents from dropped tools
• Sections crushed during roof work
• Separated joints
• Stretches that could not be seen