Factory-built fireplaces repaired with listed parts in North Quarter

Fuel that belongs in a factory-built fireplace

Manufacturers write their fuel rules plainly. One maker calls for solid wood only, preferably dry, well-seasoned hardwood, and warns against treated wood, charcoal, coal, trash, driftwood, plywood and other wood products made with binders.

The wrong fuel burns hotter or dirtier than the firebox was tested for, and the damage shows up as cracked panels and warped metal. When we repair a unit, we also go over what goes into it, so the new parts avoid the same fate.

• Dry, well-seasoned hardwood
• No treated wood or plywood
• No charcoal or coal
• No trash or driftwood

Air spaces that must stay empty

Clearances around a factory-built fireplace and its chimney are air spaces, and one maker's manual warns against packing required air spaces with insulation or other materials. The same maker says blown insulation is never to be used to fill the chimney enclosure.

Stuffed insulation, stored boxes and leftover lumber in a chase or around the unit turn up on repair visits. We clear what we can reach and point out anything that needs removal before the fireplace is used.

Metal chimneys inside a framed chase

Many factory-built chimneys run up through a framed chase, a boxed enclosure that can look like a masonry chimney from outside. The chase has its own top cover, and in one maker's system its own chase-style termination.

The chase itself is house framing and siding, and the chase top cover is a separate job priced on its own line. The prefab repair covers the fireplace, the pipe and the parts of the listed system inside the chase.

After roof work or a storm

Roof replacements and storms are hard on metal chimneys. Shingles come off around the pipe, the collar gets pushed down, the termination gets knocked and sometimes a section is loosened in the attic.

After any roof job, a quick check of the chimney top, the collar and the attic section is worth scheduling. We repair what the work disturbed with listed parts and note it for your records.

• Chimney top and termination
• Storm collar and caulk
• Pipe joints in the attic
• Supports and straps