Fireplace Services

Behind the screen of a prefab fireplace in Casselberry

How new panels are fitted

On one Superior model the firebrick walls slot into the hearth, tilt into place and are held by retaining brackets screwed into the inner dome, with the rear wall going in last. That manual recommends grouting the joints between the walls and allowing 72 hours before the fireplace is lit.

Other models use different clips and a different order of assembly, which is why our pros follow the instructions for the unit in your Casselberry home. Corroded screws and retainers are replaced, and the grate retainers go back exactly where the manual places them. Before the grate returns, each wall is checked for a snug fit so no gap is left behind a new panel.

UL 103 and the chimney above the fireplace

Two rules in the Florida Building Code apply to this pipe. A chimney used with a factory-built fireplace must comply with UL 127 (section R1005.4). A factory-built chimney serving a solid-fuel appliance in a home must meet the Type HT requirements of UL 103, while chimneys for open-combustion-chamber fireplaces meet UL 103 without the HT marking (section R1005.3).

For a homeowner in Casselberry, that means the pipe in the chase is not generic duct. It is a listed product that has to go in and end at the roof the way its maker's instructions say (section R1005.1), and our repairs keep it one product from the firebox to the cap.

Inserts in a factory-built fireplace

A wood insert cannot simply be slid into any prefab firebox. One Superior manual warns against any insert unless the insert maker's instructions say the insert was tested in that fireplace, and the IHP guide says that maker does not authorize inserts in its fireplaces at all.

Thinking about an insert for your prefab fireplace in Casselberry? Our specialists check both manuals first. Where the answer is no, we explain the options, which may be repairing the existing unit or quoting an insert installation or a replacement as its own project. Either way, the answer comes in writing with the manual pages that support it.

Handling ash from a prefab firebox

Ash from a prefab firebox can hide live embers. The IHP guide says to put ashes in a metal can with a lid that closes tightly, stand it on a noncombustible floor or on the ground well away from anything that burns, and keep it shut until the cinders have cooled. NFPA heating safety advice adds that ashes should be cool before they go in, and that the container belongs well away from the house.

Before any repair in a firebox in Casselberry, our specialists confirm the unit is cold and the ash is out. If you do not have a suitable container, we will tell you what to look for.