Repair Options
Parging and shelf repairs for Winter Springs fireplaces
Mortar bits landing in the firebox
Grit, flakes of parging or small bits of brick on the grate come from somewhere above it. The smoke chamber is a likely source, especially where its joints were never parged or its old coat is letting go. Keep the fireplace unused until we find it. Do not probe above the damper yourself, since loose pieces can drop.
Our local smoke chamber pros track down the source during a free inspection in Winter Springs and quote the repair upfront.
When the chamber walls need rebuilding
A chamber with widespread loose brick, missing sections or walls that have shifted needs rebuilding in solid masonry before it can be parged. The work is done from inside the fireplace and, where needed, from the top. We keep the original proportions so the chamber still funnels smoke properly into the flue.
This is a bigger job, and you see exactly what comes out and goes back before you approve it. Call (645) 465-4122 for a free assessment in Winter Springs.
Why exterior stucco does not belong inside
Stucco, masonry cement and patching compounds from the hardware store are made for walls, not for the heat and acidic smoke inside a fireplace. The code calls for refractory mortar on the inside of a masonry smoke chamber. We sometimes find the wrong material from an earlier repair, and it has to come out before the chamber can be parged properly.
Our smoke chamber experts point it out and include its removal in the written price for Winter Springs.
Chamber work, recorded in writing
Once the work is done, you receive a written record showing which areas were rebuilt, which surfaces were parged, the product used and its drying steps. Keep it with your house papers, since the chamber cannot be seen from the room and the record is the easiest way to show what was done.
Smoke chamber jobs by our family-owned team in Winter Springs close out with that record. Schedule the chamber work inside 72 hours of the inspection and save 10%.
Sealing around the damper frame
The damper frame is set into the masonry at the base of the chamber, and the joint around it can open as the metal heats and cools. Smoke and heat can slip through that gap into the wall. We clean the joint and seal it with refractory mortar as part of the chamber repair, without locking the damper plate in place.
Our smoke chamber pros check the plate works freely before they leave your Winter Springs home, and the inspection is free.
