Fireplace
Fireplace restoration in Forest City, part by part
Smoke chamber parging in a fireplace restoration
Above the damper, the smoke chamber narrows the smoke into the flue. Section R1001.8 has its inner surface parged smooth in a refractory mortar meeting ASTM C199. In old fireplaces that parging has often cracked or fallen away, leaving rough, stepped brick.
Our specialists inspect the smoke chamber from below with the damper open. Where the surface has failed, it is cleaned and parged again with refractory mortar, and the work is listed on its own line of the Forest City estimate so you can see it even though you will never see the chamber itself.
Hearth extension size in a fireplace restoration
The hearth extension in front of the opening has minimum dimensions for good reason. Under R1001.10, a smaller opening needs 16 inches of extension out front and 8 to each side, and an opening of 6 square feet or more needs 20 and 12.
Some old fireplaces were built with a short extension, and some lost part of it to a flooring job. We measure yours and tell you where it stands. If your Forest City fireplace is to be used again, extending the hearth is part of the restoration plan, finished to suit the original.
Replacing broken brick on a fireplace face
A brick that has cracked through or lost its face is replaced rather than patched. On a restoration the replacement should look like its neighbors, so our pros look for a brick that matches in size, color and texture, and show it to you before it goes in.
Each replaced brick is set in mortar matched to the surrounding joints. The count of bricks to replace is on your Forest City estimate, so a few damaged units never become an open-ended line. Where a damaged brick sits at the edge of the opening, the masonry around it is supported while it is replaced.
Carbon monoxide alarms and a restored fireplace
A wood fire produces carbon monoxide along with smoke, which is why the NFPA advises venting all fuel-burning equipment outside and installing and maintaining carbon monoxide alarms. A fireplace coming back into use after years is a good moment to check that yours work.
If an alarm sounds while the fireplace is burning, get everyone outside and call 911 from outside. Once the home is safe, our specialists inspect the restored fireplace and the path the smoke takes out of your Forest City home before it is used again. A restored fireplace is used with working alarms in place, like any other.
