Telling a masonry fireplace from a factory-built one before asking for a quote
It matters because the repairs are different. A factory-built unit has a metal box behind its panels, often a metal label plate inside the opening or behind the lower grille, and a round metal flue. A masonry fireplace has a brick firebox and usually a clay tile flue.
The California Residential Code requires factory-built fireplaces to be listed and installed according to that listing, so replacement parts need to match what the manufacturer specified. Where a Burbank house was built or remodelled in later decades, a factory-built unit is more likely; where it predates the war, brick is more likely. The label, not the age, is what settles it.
Dampers that stick after a hot summer, and doors that no longer close
A throat damper is a cast-iron or steel plate just above the firebox. Moisture over the off-season rusts its pivots, and heat can warp the plate so it no longer seals. A damper that will not open fully is a smoke problem; one that will not close lets conditioned air escape all summer.
Glass doors fail at the hinges, the frame and the glass. Tempered glass is fine for many doors; others are specified with ceramic glass that tolerates much higher heat, and the two are not interchangeable.
Tell us whether the fireplace is brick or factory-built, and send a photo of the firebox if you can. A short description, and a photo if you can take one safely, is a good start to an estimate request.
Symptoms that mean the fireplace should stay unlit until it is fixed
Some faults can wait for a convenient date. These should not:
- 1Open gaps in the firebrick, or a back wall that has bulged or loosened.
- 2A refractory panel cracked through, with metal visible behind it.
- 3Smoke rolling out of the opening even with the damper fully open.
- 4Scorching or discolouration on the mantel or surround.
- 5A carbon monoxide alarm sounding while the fire burns. Get everyone out and call 911.
What changes the size of a fireplace repair job
How much of the firebox is affected; whether firebrick can be matched or the whole box needs relining; whether panels for an older factory-built model are still made; the damper type and whether it can be freed or needs replacing; and whether the smoke chamber above also needs parging.
The US Fire Administration's advice to keep anything that can burn at least three feet from a fireplace is worth applying while the repair is pending, too.