Signs You Need to Install a New Fireplace

If you look over the estimates for the longevity of various home heating systems, you’ll notice that one stands far above the others: the fireplace. While other heaters are considered fortunate if they last 25 years, fireplaces can endure for up to 100 years. Fireplaces are often known to last longer than the houses around them.

However, a fireplace will still succumb to the ravages of time. If you live in an older home that inherited a fireplace, you may find that it needs replacement. When that happens, call Celco Heating and Air Conditioning for new fireplace installation in Milford, CT.

How will you know that an old fireplace needs retirement? Here are some of the tell-tale signs:

• Moisture and leaking: One of main signs of severe damage to a fireplace is the presence of moisture entering it. If your chimney begins to leak, it means water is getting through the building material. Another indication that this is happening is when you notice damage to the wallpaper around the fireplace, showing where water is escaping through the chimney wall. The reason this is so serious is that moisture inside the bricks will cause them to crack (known as spalling) and eventually crumble. The situation will get worse during the winter as the water freezes and expands. Have a fireplace installer look over your hearth and chimney to determine if replacement is the best option.
• A leaning chimney: If you notice from the outside of your home that the chimney of your fireplace seems to be leaning, you have a serious problem. A leaning chimney will put huge stress on the building material of your home, and if it falls, it could rip away a large section of the wall. When a chimney starts to lean, it usually means catastrophic damage to its foundations. You will need to have a complete replacement.
• Cracks in the flue lining: The lining inside your fireplace’s flue helps it vent correctly. But it also prevents heat and flames from escaping the chimney and the hearth and reaching combustible building material. When the flue starts to crack, the fireplace can become a major safety hazard. Don’t ignore this problem and think the fireplace’s durability will protect it. Have an inspection done right away to see if you should have a new fireplace installed.

We realize that taking out an old fireplace and putting in a new one is a large task. However, if you call the fireplace replacement experts at Celco Heating and Air Conditioning, they will take care of the job quickly and with as little interruption to your daily life as possible. Trust your fireplace installation and other heating service installations in Milford, CT to us.