Family-run firebox repair in Sunbeam

Local pros tap every firebrick in your Sunbeam fireplace, probe every joint and write down which repair fixes it. The inspection is free.

Fully licensed and insured
Locally owned
Family owned and operated
Same-day service

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(904) 920-5495 Free Inspection

Firebox specialists who test every brick in Sunbeam

Locally owned in Jacksonville
Family owned and operated
100% satisfaction guaranteed
Free inspection and estimate
Same-day service available
10% off any service

Sound bricks stay in place, and only the ones that failed are cut out and replaced.

Free inspection and estimateEvery wall of the firebox in Sunbeam is tapped and probed cold, and the failed bricks and joints are marked at no charge.
Upfront pricing, no hidden feesEach wall is quoted for what it needs, a few joints, a few bricks or a full reline, so a small repair stays small.
100% satisfaction guaranteedIf a joint we repointed opens again after it has cured and been used as the ticket says, we come back and redo it.

Call (904) 920-5495 Free Inspection

Same-day looks at an open joint

An open joint you can see from the room is not an emergency in itself, but it does need a decision before the next fire. If a slot is open that day, a firebox specialist can look the same day you call and tell you whether it is safe to use in the meantime.

Keep fires out of it for a few hours before we arrive, since every wall has to be handled and probed cold. The repair itself is then booked around the mortar's cure time. Joint open in your Sunbeam firebox? Ask for the next opening at (904) 920-5495.

Sunbeam lies within Duval County. Sunbeam does not reach the coast.

What firebox repair covers in Sunbeam

Flaking brick faces measured against the code thickness
Bowed walls checked against the masonry behind them
Failed patches removed and the joints redone
Firebox floor bricks lifted and reset flat

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Tap, probe, repair, cure

Keep the firebox cold
Let the fireplace go unused for several hours ahead of our visit, so each wall is cool to the touch.
Tap, probe and mark
Each brick is sounded, each joint probed, and the failed ones marked and written up by wall.
Rake, rebrick or reline
Joints are raked and repointed, failed bricks replaced and worn walls relined in C199 mortar.
Cure date on the ticket
The mortar maker's drying time sets the date of the first small fire, written down before we leave.

First fires of the season in Sunbeam

Well inland in Sunbeam, the first fires often come with the first cold front. A firebox that has sat since last winter is worth checking before then.

Joints repointed early have their full cure time before the first fire.

10% off any service booked within 72 hours of inspection

The firebox check in Sunbeam is free, and the discount lands on the repair that follows.

Call (904) 920-5495 Free Inspection

Keeping firebox joints to a quarter inch

Under R1001.5, the joints between firebricks may be no wider than a quarter inch. A refractory mortar maker may list a wider range for other work, such as an eighth to three eighths of an inch for fire brick in general, but inside a residential firebox the code's figure sets the upper limit.

Thin joints matter because refractory mortar is still the part of the lining that wears first, and a wide joint gives the fire more of it to work on. When a joint was laid wide from the start, repointing cannot narrow it; the bricks on either side would have to be relaid. We measure joint widths while probing and note any wall where that applies.

The sloped back of a firebox

In a conventional firebox the side walls and the lower part of the back are vertical, and above that the back leans forward toward the opening. The Brick Industry Association describes the slope as the support for the damper and the flue lining above, and recommends a flat plane over a curve, which reflects more heat into the room.

When we reline or rebuild the back wall, the slope goes back at the angle it had, with new firebrick cut to the line. A back wall rebuilt straight up changes how the fireplace draws and how much heat it sends out, so the angle is measured before the old brick comes out.

The throat above the opening

Above the firebox, smoke passes through a slot called the throat into the smoke chamber. The Florida code places the throat at least 8 inches above the fireplace opening, calls for it to be at least 4 inches deep, and does not allow the passage above the firebox to be smaller than the flue.

A firebox repair seldom reaches the throat, but a rebuild of the upper back wall does. We measure the throat before any brick comes out of that area and rebuild to the same or better dimensions, so the repair does not create a smoke problem that was not there before. The measurements go on the ticket.

Walls, joints and cure time in writing

Open joints raked to firm mortar and repointed in C199 refractory mortar
Firebox depth measured before any relining is planned
Back wall slope and throat height kept on any rebuild
Hairline cracks left in place and noted for later checks

Firebox repair questions from Sunbeam

Is refractory caulk good enough for firebox joints?

Not for every joint. Florida's code wants firebrick laid in C199 medium-duty refractory mortar, with joints kept to a quarter inch. We read the product's stated standard and joint range before using it.

Will new firebrick match the old color?

Close, though not exact. Firebrick color varies by maker and batch, and the old lining has darkened with use, so new bricks look lighter at first. We tell you before ordering.