Prefab fireplace repair specialists for Robinson Hills homes

Caring for tempered door glass

Tempered door glass is tough within limits. One maker says its glass withstands a gradual temperature rise beyond what a normal fire produces, and that the glass must warm slowly and evenly. It warns against letting flames touch the glass and against slamming or striking the doors.

Cleaning takes the same care. The manual calls for a commercial glass cleaner or soap and water, no abrasives and no cool water on glass that is still hot. Cracked or chipped glass is replaced with the maker's part before the doors go back into use.

Mantel clearances on a factory-built fireplace

Each factory-built model sets its own mantel clearances. One maker's 36-inch model keeps combustible trim and mantels projecting from the face at least 12 inches from the opening, its larger models 18 inches, with further limits on anything that projects more than 1 1/2 inches.

A mantel added after the fireplace was installed is often the first thing we measure. If it sits closer than the manual allows, we show you the numbers and discuss moving it or changing its depth.

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

The smoke shield and the top of the firebox

The top of a factory-built firebox includes parts such as a smoke shield and an inner dome that guide smoke toward the damper and the flue. In one maker's parts list, both are marked as not field replaceable.

Damage there changes the conversation. We tell you what we see, which parts can be serviced and when the finding means the fireplace should be replaced as a whole.

• Smoke shield
• Inner dome
• Damper area above them
• What the parts list allows in the field