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prefabricated fireplace, metal fireplace, zero clearance fireplace home inspectionsPrefabricated fireplaces, sometimes called zero clearance fireplaces, usually have dampers in the chimney inlet. Look up inside the fireplace and learn how to open and close the damper. Often prefabricated fireplaces will have shallow throats. Be sure the screen and glass doors are closed during use of the fireplace to prevent embers from popping out onto the floor. Usually, there is a knock out plug for a gas line to enter the fire box. This hole must be sealed with a material able to withstand heat if a gas line is run through it. A fire clay type material is available at most fireplace dealers. Keep some tightly packed around the gas line, if there is one, where it penetrates the fire box. Warning: prefabricated manufacturer's specifications vary from unit to unit. The inspector will not be able to comment on clearances, fire-stop applications, hearth or mantle extensions, whether the chimney vent cap is properly sized or affixed, etc., without these specifications. Should you desire further information on these subjects, contact the seller, installer, or manufacturer in an attempt to obtain the specifications. If the specifications are located, the inspector can return to ascertain whether the installation guidelines have been followed. Site-built fireplaces ordinarily are constructed of brick or block. Some have metal prefabricated fire boxes and are complex in construction. Most are simple with few or no moving parts other than the damper. Although the average wood-burning fireplace is not very efficient as a primary source of heat, it is still an extremely popular feature with home owners for its aesthetic value, and for the warmth and pleasure that can be derived from watching a crackling fire on a winter night. But a fireplace that smokes incessantly and spews flying embers out into the room, or one which just will not keep a fire burning after it is lit, is hardly a pleasure. In fact, it is of little use to anyone, either for practical or aesthetic reasons. That is why it pays to learn how to use your fireplace properly and take steps to correct any defects which make it smoke or burn poorly. A well designed fireplace will have a smoke shelf directly behind or above the damper (at the base of the flue). This serves a very definite purpose, in that it deflects or turns back down drafts so that they do not blow smoke out into the room; instead, the smoke is sucked back into the upward draft and up the chimney. Masonry fireplace proportion Gas fireplaces Unvented gas fireplaces
File last updated February 08, 2012 * Copyright © 2012 All rights reserved by: Accurate Inspections, Inc. A New Jersey home inspection firm 56 Woodland Drive, Woodland Park (formerly West Paterson) NJ 07424 973-812-5100 providing New Jersey Certified Home Inspections in NJ, by New Jersey Licensed home inspectors. Inspector of record Michael Del Greco, New Jersey Home Inspector License GI 0121.
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