Fireplace Repair
Inside a fireplace repair in Lock Arbor
Replacing firebox panels in a factory-built fireplace
Factory-built fireboxes are lined with refractory panels shaped for one model. Cracks, crumbled corners and missing pieces can leave the metal firebox behind them exposed to the fire. The owner's manual for the model explains when a damaged panel can stay in service and when it has to be replaced.
We order the panel listed for your fireplace instead of one that looks close in size, because factory-built fireplace manuals warn against installing damaged, incomplete or substitute components. The new panel is fitted as the manual shows, and the old one leaves your Lock Arbor home with the rest of the debris.
Repairing glass doors and screens on a masonry fireplace
Listed fireplace accessories, glass doors and screens included, are installed under the conditions of their listing and the maker's instructions, and they comply with UL 907, per section R1001.13 of the Florida code. A door frame screwed into crumbling mortar or a screen missing its panels does little good.
We reset loose door frames into sound masonry, replace broken screens and adjust doors that no longer close. The NFPA recommends a sturdy screen to stop sparks flying into the room, and our specialists make sure yours covers the opening before the Lock Arbor job is finished.
Cleaning soot stains off the fireplace face
Black streaks above the opening usually mean smoke has been escaping into the room, so the stain is a symptom first and a cleaning job second. The Brick Industry Association's cleaning guidance says scrubbing with scouring powder and a stiff bristle brush is often effective on smoke stains, and it recommends a trial on an inconspicuous area first.
We find out why the fireplace spilled smoke before cleaning the face, then clean the brick or stone with the gentlest method that works. The same guidance warns against unbuffered muriatic acid and excessive water pressure on brick. You see a test patch on your Lock Arbor fireplace before the whole face is done.
Carbon monoxide alarms near a repaired fireplace
Burning fuel produces carbon monoxide, which is why the NFPA advises venting all fuel-burning equipment outside and installing and maintaining carbon monoxide alarms. Fireplace manuals describe the early signs of carbon monoxide poisoning as flu-like, with headaches, dizziness or nausea, and tell you to get fresh air at once.
If an alarm sounds or anyone feels those symptoms while the fireplace is burning, get everyone outside and call 911 from outside. Once the home is safe, our specialists inspect the fireplace and the path the smoke takes out of your Lock Arbor home, and the fireplace stays unused until the cause is found.
