Fireplace Repair
Fireplace repair in Slavia, part by part
Refractory mortar for firebox joint repair
Ordinary masonry mortar is made for walls, and the inside of a firebox is a different place. The code names medium-duty refractory mortar conforming to ASTM C199 for laying firebrick (R1001.5), and the same kind of mortar for parging the smoke chamber (R1001.8). A patch in general-purpose mortar or caulk may not hold up once the fireplace is used again.
When our specialists relay or replace firebrick, the old mortar is cleared out, the bricks are set in refractory mortar and the joints are kept thin. The product and its curing instructions go on your written record, so you know when your Slavia fireplace can be lit again.
Rebuilding a firebox back wall that has worn thin
Behind the firebrick sits the rest of the firebox wall. In a lined masonry firebox, the back and side walls must be 8 inches of solid masonry counting the lining, or 10 inches without one (R1001.5). When a back wall bulges, shifts or has lost bricks, the repair is bigger than a single joint.
In that case the damaged section is taken down to sound masonry and rebuilt, keeping the depth and shape the fireplace was built with. We explain the extent before quoting. If the damage runs past the firebox into the structure above, that part is listed separately so the Slavia estimate stays easy to read.
Cracked or sinking fireplace hearth repair
Concrete or masonry is required for both the hearth beneath the fire and the extension ahead of it, supported by noncombustible materials, with no combustible material left against the underside (R1001.9). The code sets the hearth at 4 inches thick and the extension at 2 inches, with a thinner extension allowed only where the firebox opening is raised at least 8 inches.
A crack across the hearth, tiles lifting or an extension that has settled below the floor can mean the support under it has moved. We check what the hearth sits on before repairing the surface. New tile laid over a moving hearth only hides the fault, so the Slavia estimate starts with the support and ends with the finish.
A gas smell near the fireplace comes first
If you smell gas, get out of the house first, then call the gas company or the fire department once you are outside. NFPA safety guidance says not to light the appliance and to leave the home right away, and gas appliance manuals add that you should not touch electrical switches or use a phone inside the building.
Once the gas utility or the fire department has made the home safe, call us to arrange the repair. Our team works on the fireplace around the gas appliance, and faults in the appliance go to our gas fireplace service. The fireplace in your Slavia home stays off until the smell has been explained.
