Chimney and fireplace service for Penney Farms homes from local experts

Several answers about a fireplace depend on one fact the owner may not know yet, which is whether it is site-built masonry or a factory-built unit. A masonry fireplace is brick or block on a footing, with a firebox of firebrick, a ferrous metal damper, a smoke chamber and a clay or metal liner inside a masonry chimney.

A factory-built fireplace is a listed steel box tested to UL 127, set inside a framed chase and vented through a listed metal chimney tested to UL 103, and every part of it goes in according to the maker's instructions. Telling them apart takes about a minute.

Look inside the firebox for smooth panels rather than separate bricks with mortar joints between them, look for a metal rating plate near the opening or behind a lower grille, and look outside, where a chase clad in siding with a metal top points to a factory-built system. The difference changes the repair. A cracked masonry firebox is repaired with firebrick and refractory mortar, while a cracked panel in a factory-built unit is replaced with the maker's part.

A masonry chimney can be relined to suit a new appliance, whereas a factory-built chimney is repaired with listed parts that match the unit. Clearances come from the state building code for masonry and from the listing for factory-built. Our estimate states which type you have on its first line, so every later decision starts from the right rulebook.

If the rating plate is missing or unreadable, we say so and explain what that means for parts. Knowing the type also tells you which manual applies, and whether a part can be ordered by model number or has to be built on site. Some houses have a factory-built unit set inside an existing masonry opening, and then both sets of rules apply.

If you are not sure which one sits in your Penney Farms living room, our fireplace experts can tell you on the first visit. Pick up the phone and dial (904) 920-5495 to get your Penney Farms visit on the calendar.