Metal fireplace and chimney repair in LaVina

Offsets and elbows in the chimney

Factory-built chimneys can jog sideways with elbows, within limits. Section R1005.7 keeps every piece of a factory-built chimney within 30 degrees of vertical and allows four elbows at most in the run.

One maker's manual adds its own rules for the length of angled pipe between supports and for the straps that carry the weight above an offset. When a chimney has been rerouted, we check it against both before any repair.

The hearth extension in front of a prefab unit

Section R1004.2 says the hearth extension of a factory-built fireplace follows the listing of the fireplace, stays readily distinguishable from the surrounding floor and, when it is a listed product, complies with UL 1618.

In one maker's manual, that extension reaches 20 inches in front and 12 inches beyond each side, over a layer with a stated insulating value. We measure yours against your own model's figures when the hearth is part of the repair.

Minimum chimney height on a factory-built system

Factory-built fireplaces are tested with a minimum and a maximum chimney height. One maker's model needs at least 16 feet from the base of the fireplace to the top of the termination for a straight flue, more with two sets of elbows and no more than 50 feet in all, while a different model from the same maker sets 12 feet above the appliance as its minimum.

A chimney shortened during a roof job, or a system that was always short, can explain a stubborn draft problem. We measure the system against your model's figures.

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