Fireplace concerns

beentheredoneit

New to the state, never had a fireplace before. Seems previous owners didn't either. Found rug fabric stuffed in the gap at the bottom of the fireplace metal and glass cover. There is insulation inside the fireplace around/inside the metal and glass cover. It has areas of being burnt so I'm pretty sure it isn't fireproof. More to keep the draft out, because the cover has gap on all 4 sides of it I want to fill them in with fireproof safe material. Should I try on my own or just get an expert to come in? This did pass a home inspection, if that really matters. I appreciate any helpful suggestions I can acquire.

Gary in WA

Welcome to the forums! I moved your thread for better response...

Gary

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Joe Carola

If you're planning on using it without a doubt have a professional come in and look at this. It's not worth trying to fix a fireplace yourself when you have no idea what your doing. People on the internet can't see your fireplace. You HAVE to be safe.

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Joe Carola

daveb1

Definitely have a professional check it out. Your home inspector missed the carpet material being used as a fire proof gasket, what else did he miss? A professional chimney sweep should check everything on the fireplace, including the door gaskets, chimney flue, damper operation, and will give operation and burning tips.

Blondesense

Is it wood burning?
What the others said. A knowledgeable person on site will give you much better advice than anyone here.
I would definitely have it cleaned and checked out professionally before lighting a fire in it. You can ask him/her the best way to minimize drafts etc. when not in use.

I would talk to a business that installs wood burning inserts for a recommendation.

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Daniel Holzman

While you are having a professional chimney and fireplace company look at the fireplace, make sure they check the flue for integrity and code compliance, as well as removing all unacceptable material used as "gasket" material. Fireplaces are notorious for burning down houses, you don't need to save a few dollars and burn your place to the ground.

Dave Sal

I agree that a professional is needed. However, as with everything else these days, always maintain a bit of skepticism when dealing with anyone, even the pros. I had my annual fireplace cleaning and inspection performed just before the current heating season by a well known local professional chimney service. I know my way around the house, top to bottom, and have lived here since I bought it new over 30 years ago. We don't use the fireplace all that often and I replaced the crown wash with a cast piece and have a relatively new cap. The chimney guys did their inspection and their report says that the fireplace is unsafe to use as there are shifted tiles throughout the flue and the crown wash is cracked (it is not). They recommended repairs that would set me back $2800 for a new flue liner and other work. I declined. After they left, I took my camera, mounted it on a tripod and stuck it up in the flue and snapped a few pics. I found that the flue liner is NOT shifted at all and looks pretty darn good to me. The only part that they got right was that I need some tuckpointing on a small section of the fireplace bricks near the top. I truly dislike people who try to rip off unsuspecting customers. By the way, I used Photoshop to lighten this picture at the time as it was a bit hard to see because it's kind of dark at the top but it looks good all the way up.

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