Firebox Safety
Posted by Dieter Bove on Tue, Nov 17, 2009
Last week I did a Level I inspection in Batavia for an elderly
couple that were experiencing an unusual amount of "warming of the
walls surrounding the brick (masonry) fireplace. My inspection revealed
that a serious fire hazard did exist since the firebox needed
tuckpointing, and the lintle had become separated from the fireplace
face allowing excessive heat transfer into the surrounding combustible
walls. The firebox was repaired by grinding out all the mortar joints,
preparing the surface, and tuckpointed with a non water soluble
refractory cement from Copperfield Chimney Supply. The lintle bar was
sealed with Copperfields "ceramic wool" that will effectively block
heat transfer as well as act as an expansion joint at this critical
area.
Today I received a call from the homeowner stating that the repair
was effective because they had a fire in the fireplace all evening long
with no noticeable heating up of the surrounding walls.