Masonry and factory-built fireplace repair in Signal Hill

A smoky or stale smell from the fireplace

A fireplace can smell even when it is cold. A smoky odor can come from deposits in the firebox, the smoke chamber or the flue, carried into the room when air moves down the chimney. A musty smell can point to moisture, damp ash or material that has collected above the damper.

If you regularly see or smell smoke, EPA wood-burning guidance says, you may have a problem, and a cold fireplace that smells deserves the same attention. A damper that no longer seals lets more of that air into the room.

We check the damper seal, the ash and the firebox, look up into the throat and ask when the smell is strongest. Some smells end with a clean-out and a damper that closes properly. If the source is higher up, a chimney sweep or chimney leak repair is written as a separate line on the estimate.

Raised hearths that crack or pull loose

A raised hearth lifts the fire and gives the room a seat or a ledge. It is also a box of masonry or framing with a finish on top, and those parts can separate. Cracks along the front edge, a loose top slab or a gap where the hearth meets the wall are the signs to look for.

Hearths used as seats or steps take loads they may not have been built for. The Florida Building Code asks hearths to be reinforced to carry their own weight and all imposed loads, and a raised hearth that has settled or cracked is worth checking below the surface as well as on it.

Our crew checks what the raised hearth is built from and whether the top is still properly supported. For homes in Signal Hill, the repair might be a new top slab, reset stone or a rebuilt edge, and each is written up with the materials named.

Trash, painted wood and other things to keep out

EPA wood-burning guidance lists materials that release toxic or harmful chemicals when burned and may damage the appliance they are burned in. The list is worth keeping near the fireplace.

These often end up in a fireplace for convenience, after a move, a party or a clean-out of the garage. The damage they leave can show on the firebox, the damper and the door glass.

When our technicians find signs of trash or treated wood in the firebox, they point it out, because repairs hold up better when the fuel is right. Homeowners in Signal Hill also get a short fuel note for their fireplace type on the written record.

• Household trash, cardboard, plastics and foam
• Coated, painted or pressure-treated wood
• Ocean driftwood, plywood, particle board or glued wood
• Wet, rotted, diseased or moldy wood

Parts to leave alone until the repair visit

A fireplace fault invites a quick home fix, and some are harmless. Others make the real repair harder or larger than it needed to be.

Each of these can bend a part that could have been saved, break a panel that was only cracked or hide the fault from the person who has to find it. On a factory-built unit, removing listed parts can also take the fireplace outside its listing.

If something is loose, leave it where it is and stop using the fireplace. Our technicians then see the fault exactly as it happened, which makes the diagnosis faster. A short description over the phone is all we need to plan a visit in Signal Hill.

• Forcing a stuck damper handle or pulling on its linkage
• Prying at cracked panels in a factory-built firebox
• Filling firebox cracks with caulk or ordinary mortar
• Removing trim, hoods or grilles from a factory-built face