Established subdivisions such as Sky Lark and Longdale have many 1970s brick fireplaces, a number of them converted to gas logs. The fireplace type matters more than anything else in the plan.
Firebox, damper, smoke chamber, doors
Fireplace repair works from the fire outward. The firebox takes the heat: in a masonry fireplace that means firebrick and refractory mortar (firebox repair); in a factory-built unit, refractory panels (new refractory panels). The damper above it controls the draft and seals the flue when the fireplace is off (damper repair or replacement). The smoke chamber funnels smoke into the flue, and rough or damaged walls there push smoke back into the room (smoke chamber work).
Doors and glass keep sparks in and room air from being pulled up the flue; cracked glass is replacing cracked fireplace glass.
The local picture in Longwood
A damper that sticks, a cracked firebox or firebrick loosened under an old log grate are the usual repairs on these 1970s fireplaces, and older homes near the historic district may have fireboxes decades older still; the log set itself is gas appliance service.
When to call about the fireplace
- Smoke comes into the room during fires
- Cracks or missing pieces in the firebrick or panels; see cracks in the firebox
- The damper won’t open, close or seal; see stuck dampers
- Glass is cracked or doors don’t close properly
- Rust inside a factory-built firebox; see rust inside a factory-built fireplace
Wood-burning fireplace repair
Wood-burning fireplaces take the hardest use: real heat, creosote and ash. Firebrick joints erode, dampers warp and smoke chambers roughen. Most of it is repairable; the details are in wood-burning fireplace repair. When a factory-built wood unit is past repair, the answer is replacing a worn-out factory-built fireplace.
Gas and electric fireplaces
This page covers wood-burning and factory-built fireplaces. Gas fireplaces that won’t light or stay lit are covered by gas fireplace repair, and routine upkeep by gas fireplace servicing. Electric fireplaces are electrical and control work: see repairs for electric fireplaces. Gas piping is quoted as separate, permitted work.
Fireplace repair across Longwood
Repairs are available anywhere in Longwood, including Longdale. Tell us whether the fireplace is brick or factory-built, wood or gas, and what it’s doing; the rating plate model helps for prefab units. If you’d like the chimney checked too, add an inspection of the fireplace and flue. For the rest of the house, see everything we handle across Longwood. The same service covers fixing fireplaces in Altamonte Springs, Lake Mary fireplace service and firebox and damper repair in Winter Springs.
For the full background, see fireplace repair explained in depth and how to tell a masonry fireplace from a prefab one.
References (3)
Figures for Longwood and the references used on this page.