DIY fireplace is good way to get burned
DEAR BARRY: Two years ago, we installed a wood-burning insert in our brick fireplace. It has been an excellent heat source and was not a problem until we decided to sell our house.
The buyers hired a home inspector, and he says the insert is a fire hazard because it has no chimney liner. The cost of installing a liner is nearly $1,600.
Is this repair really necessary, or are other solutions available? — Brandon
DEAR BRANDON: The main problem with most fireplace inserts is that they are installed by homeowners or handymen, rather than qualified fireplace experts. When people perform their own installations, they often take the word “insert” too literally and merely inject the fixture into the firebox, as if it were a DVD, not realizing that the lack of a chimney liner can pose a major fire hazard.
Without a liner, functional problems are rarely apparent, giving the false impression that all is well. However, with each repeated use, dangerous conditions can gradually take shape behind the scenes.
When no liner is installed, smoke fills the space between the insert and the old masonry firebox, rather than rising directly up the chimney. As these vapors pervade the cavity behind the insert, they cool down, allowing a combustible residue known as creosote to coat the brick and metal surfaces. If the creosote becomes hot enough to ignite, the force of expanding combustion gases can literally catapult your fireplace insert across the living room.
The best way to prevent a frightful episode of this kind is to install an approved metal liner from the top of the insert to the top of the masonry chimney. This will channel the smoke directly to the exterior.
To avoid all types of hazards pertaining to fireplaces, wood stoves, inserts or woodburning fixtures of any kind, the best advice is to delegate installations, maintenance, and repairs to a certified chimney sweep. The do-ityourself approach is a good way to get burned.
To write to Barry Stone, go to www.housedetective.com.