Fireplace Repair Seattle, WA

Fireplace repair is the service you call when something about the fireplace itself is wrong and you are not sure exactly what. The firebox has cracks, the damper will not move, the hearth is loose, smoke rolls into the room, the doors do not close, or the whole thing simply does not burn the way it used to. James Chimney Sweep has been diagnosing and repairing fireplaces around Seattle, Tacoma and the rest of the Puget Sound for 25+ years. We are CSIA certified and licensed, bonded and insured in Washington, and our job on a repair call is to find the actual cause and fix it, not guess.

This is the broad entry point for fireplace problems. Many homeowners do not know whether their trouble is a damper issue, a refractory panel issue, a draft issue or a masonry issue, and that is fine. We inspect the whole assembly, explain what we find, and either repair it on the spot or tell you plainly which focused service it needs. Where a problem falls squarely into one of those focused areas, we say so: a stuck or missing damper is covered in depth under Chimney Damper Repair, cracked factory-built liner panels under Fireplace Panel Repair and Fireplace Panel Replacement, and new doors under Fireplace Glass Door Installation. Cosmetic updates are not repair work at all, and belong under Fireplace Refacing or Fireplace Remodel.

If your fireplace is a gas unit and you ever smell gas, leave the house and call your gas utility or 911 before calling us. Gas lines and valves are only serviced by a qualified technician.

Timing & Safety

When fireplace repair is necessary versus optional

Necessary before the next fire:

• Cracks in the firebox that let you see through to the masonry behind, or crumbling joints deeper than a fingertip
• A damper stuck closed (you cannot burn) or one that cannot be verified open before lighting
• Smoke entering the living space, which means combustion byproducts are entering it too
• A lintel that has visibly dropped or cracked the surrounding brick
• A hearth extension that is loose, cracked or has lost its protective coverage in front of the opening
• Any gas fireplace that will not stay lit, has a strange odor, or shows soot on the glass or logs

Worth scheduling, but not urgent:

• Hairline surface crazing in firebrick that is not loose or spreading
• A damper that works but is stiff or drafty when closed
• Doors that close but have worn gaskets
• A faint musty or creosote smell in summer with no other symptoms

NFPA 211 recommends an annual inspection of chimneys, fireplaces and vents. If you are not sure which list your problem belongs on, an inspection tells you, and most of the small items above are cheaper to fix now than after another winter of use.

Safety considerations

A fireplace with a damaged firebox, a failed damper or a draft problem can expose framing to heat and put carbon monoxide and smoke into the home. Please stop using the fireplace until it is looked at if you see smoke in the room, smell hot or burning odors from the walls, or can see daylight or gaps through firebox joints.

• Do not burn with a damper you cannot confirm is open.
• Do not patch firebox cracks with ordinary mortar, caulk or furnace cement and keep burning; the repair needs refractory material rated for the job.
• Keep a working carbon monoxide alarm on every level of the home, especially near bedrooms.
• If you have a gas fireplace and smell gas, leave the house and call your gas utility or 911. Gas lines and valves are only serviced by a qualified technician.
• Leave roof work and chimney-top work to us; Puget Sound roofs are slick for much of the year.

Seattle & Puget Sound conditions

Seattle-area fireplaces have a few local enemies. Rain that runs down the flue through a damaged or missing damper keeps the firebox wet for months, which accelerates mortar loss and rusts dampers and lintels far faster than in a drier climate. Moss and debris at the top of the chimney shed into the smoke chamber and add to draft trouble. Tightly sealed, newer or remodeled homes around King, Pierce and Snohomish counties often have strong kitchen and bath exhaust fans that depressurize the house and pull smoke back into the room, a draft problem that looks like a chimney fault but is really a house-pressure issue. Freeze-thaw cycles are milder here than in colder regions, but they are enough over a wet winter to open small cracks in firebrick and hearths. Near the Sound, salt air adds to corrosion on steel dampers, lintels and door frames.