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1. Mike wood chimney sweep san antonio how to#
2. Mike wood chimney sweep san antonio professional#
3. Mike wood chimney sweep san antonio crack#

Mike wood chimney sweep san antonio crack#

If you do, you can crack the fragile refractory panels inside the firebox and those panels can be very expensive to replace.

Mike wood chimney sweep san antonio how to#

Reading the operating instructions is helpful for homeowners to know how to safely operate their fireplace.Īlso, prefab fireplaces cannot have big fires or very hot fires in them. Most prefab fireplaces can be used with artificial gas logs, prefabricated logs (such as Duraflames) or well-seasoned wood. Homeowners should keep track of this important information. In new homes, the contractor may have left the operating/installation instructions for the new homeowner that will list the manufacturer and model number. The tag will list the name of the manufacturer and the model number. Prefab fireplaces will have what we refer to as a “tag.” This is a metal plate, sometimes the size of a business card, and it will be placed somewhere inside the firebox. How can I know what the manufacturer and model are of my prefab fireplace?

Mike wood chimney sweep san antonio professional#

A qualified chimney professional trained in prefab fireplaces or a CSIA Certified Chimney Sweep will be able to inform the homeowner what type of system it is. The average homeowner cannot tell if they have a masonry or prefab fireplace. Looking from the prefab firebox up into the flue, the smooth metal pipe can be seen. The flue pipe in a prefab is made from metal, either a double wall or triple wall pipe. A masonry chimney will usually have bricks and mortar. The exterior chimney structure is typically made of stucco or siding. How can I tell if I have a prefab fireplace? If masonry chimneys are maintained properly, they can last more than a hundred years.

Here in San Diego, the pipe in masonry chimneys is typically made from terra cotta (clay) or pumice. Masonry fireplace systems built after the 1940s also have a pipe known as a flue lining. These are well-built systems made with bricks and mortar. There’s a big difference between these two types of fireplace systems.Ī masonry system is built on-site, brick by brick. The fireplace professional who installed the non-manufacturer’s part may then be held liable.įor safety and liability reasons, these prefab fireplace systems should not be modified against the manufacturer’s specifications! What is the difference between a prefab fireplace and a masonry fireplace? That means that if there’s ever damage caused by the fireplace due to a non-manufacturer’s component, the liability is removed from the manufacturer. This is important to know because if any of the components are changed out with a component not tested with the system, it voids out the listing on the entire system. The approval, or “listing,” involves testing the system with the specific components of the system. The manufacturer goes through expensive and extensive testing through the Underwriters Laboratory or other approved agency. Most homeowners cannot tell the difference and don’t even realize that it’s not a masonry fireplace. Home builders and contractors make a prefab fireplace look like a masonry fireplace. Most tract homes built since the 1980s have prefab fireplaces. Because of the high cost of labor for building masonry fireplaces, contractors started installing prefabricated fireplace systems. Here in San Diego, prefab fireplaces have been around since the late 1960s or early 1970s. In some cases, the pipe will be exposed above the roof. Outside the home and above the roofline, the chimney structure (also referred to as a “chase”) is nothing more than wood framing and stucco. The system is comprised of a metal firebox with either refractory panels or metal panels, a metal pipe, a metal chase cover, and a chimney cap, all housed in a chimney structure. 127 Standard in the Underwriters Laboratory or other approved agency. This type of fireplace is tested to the U.L. These fireplace systems are manufactured in a factory, assembled at the customer’s home and installed into the wood framing of the chimney structure. A prefabricated fireplace goes by several names–a “prefab” or “factory-built fireplace.” Another term would be “decorative heating appliance.”