Are you asking: how often do fireplaces need to be replaced? Sussex Fireplace Restoration offer antique fireplace restoration throughout Hastings and East Sussex. This article will help you discover if it time to replace your old fireplace.
Is It Time to Replace Your Old Fireplace?
Many family households and properties enjoy including a fireplace in one of the main rooms of their building, acting as a form of central heating and a beautiful, sturdy centrepiece that helps pull focus.
For those with homes that require the beauty of a wooden, electric or gas fireplace and the warmth that they provide, you'll find that modern units and systems offer numerous years of use as long as they receive proper gas fireplace maintenance, through an annual service inspection and regular cleaning.
As your fireplace appliance ages or experiences wear and tear, it may require some repairs to enhance the system, especially if you possess a gas insert or a gas log fireplace.
When deciphering whether or not your system needs repairs or a brand-new installation altogether, you may want to contact a professional fireplace engineer to assess the condition.
With all gas-powered appliances throughout your home, you want to ensure you reduce the risks. As soon as you detect any issues or potential faults, we encourage you to promptly call the fireplace experts to help repair or replace your firebox unit.
Keeping your gas logs and fireplaces working safely is vital, particularly in the wintertime when you need hot water and heating most of all.
When to Replace Your Fireplace
If you've been wanting to replace your household or property fireplace but need the extra push to do so, here are some of the most common reasons why homeowners invest in such replacements, and why doing so will benefit you.
When the Fireplace needs repairing
UK customers and homeowners typically make the switch from their older units to more updated fireplace systems the moment they recognise a significant safety issue with their current system that needs to be repaired, for example, the flues.
Once your unit is mended by professional restorers, many find they can make a sizable investment ideal for selling their appliance if you choose to upgrade.
Next, customers will then have to decide whether or not they want to switch to a pellet stove, gas-burning fireplace, or stick with their wood-burning system.
Regarding the sizable investment, it all depends on the condition and model make of your system, for example, what style you opt for, the measurement, etc., as a starting price range, you might be looking at approximately £4,753 to £9,508.
With a range of this stature, it's wise to consider whether it'd be best to repair and keep your current system or if it's time to purchase something new that will arguably last you much longer.
Perhaps you're on the lookout for a wood-burning fireplace system, yet you still desire auxiliary heat, so you opt to have a brand-new liner system and wood stove linear installed, instead of fixing your current fireplace entirely.
Such a decision will leave you, cost-wise, in a similar ballpark, whilst you can guarantee a significant boost in efficiency and extra heat across your home or property building.
The new metal installation will ensure you receive more radiant heat and convection heat with the use of the fan.
More auxiliary heat will help you lower your fuel and energy bills, as it operates at a much faster pace and spreads heat more efficiently, meaning you won't have to keep your fireplace burning wood for long periods.
To lengthen the lifespan, we also recommend investing in full-service inspections and safety checks on an annual basis
The fireplace has reached the end of its life expectancy.
You'll find that the average factory-built fireplaces have a lifespan of approximately 15 years, yet many manufacturers across the UK often discontinue the production of particular manufacturing parts once they have run for at least 10 years.
Suppose a crucial aspect of your fireplace system breaks and requires an immediate replacement, there's a chance you may not find the perfect matching components to repair it, making this the ideal opportunity to replace your fireplace unit.
We recommend you select a fireplace instalment that is more efficient or perhaps choose a different fuel type and appliance to improve the life expectancy.
When the Fireplace is outdated/inefficient
Unfortunately, for households or properties that possess a wood stove that is approximately 15-25 years old, it is highly likely that the unit doesn't function as it should, and it may be a wasteful appliance taking up living space and producing dangerous amounts of creosote and dust.
The outdated unit won't be releasing any sufficient heat into your home, so the next best option is to invest in a new one.
A more efficient unit to choose from is a brand-new wood-burning fireplace, as more modern systems pollute less, and spread more heat throughout your home.
You'll find that the return on investment is far better, as your fireplaces life expectancy will be much longer. Plenty of homeowners and fireplace restoration clients are opting for more modern units and flush woodstoves, as they allow you to save money.
Customers benefit massively from the beautiful view of the fire and its cosy atmosphere, all the while, they achieve more heat circulating their property, and electrical, gas, and fuel oil bills are dramatically reduced.
Ready to update your space
For those that feel as though the design or style of their fireplace is stuck in the past, we highly recommend updating your model for something more contemporary looking and functional.
Whether you choose to invest in a brand-new fascia or fireplace surround that is a little more modern, or perhaps you wish to opt for an attractive stone build instead of brick masonry; you'll find that adapting the appearance of your room and the appliances is often the best time to implement a new fireplace.
The contents of your fireplace can sometimes affect the outside too, and this may require maintenance; for example, salt deposits create white stains that appear like chalk on the outside of your brickwork and chimneys, so this may be another reason to get them replaced.
If your lifestyle has changed
Perhaps you could go out and collect dry wood to chop and place it in a fire to tend for the evening when you were a little more agile or had more time to spare; however, as you age or get busier, it can be challenging to keep such a high maintenance heating method in your home.
You may have reached a point where building and staying up to tend the fire is simply too tedious, and you would enjoy a more low-maintenance unit where you can relax and look out without going to much trouble.
If this is the case, we encourage you to replace your fireplace with a heating system that is more modern, functional, and far easier to handle.
Vent-free gas logs with a remote control or easy buttons along the side that switch the gas on to allow heat into your home.
If you find yourself falling asleep among the cosy heat, you can simply click to turn off the fireplace and head off to bed, without having to start extinguishing all your efforts late at night.
One of the best ways to assess if you need to update or replace your current fireplace is by analysing your lifestyle changes and whether or not you enjoy going to such extremes for central heating methods. If not, the next best thing is to hire a great service that can help switch you to a system more appropriate.
What Should You Expect When Updating Your Fireplace System?
When updating your fireplace system, it can often take at least one or two trips, depending on the condition of your current application.
Suppose you have a significant amount of leftover creosote and debris deposits, in that case, these will have to be cleaned out and thoroughly removed by a professional chimney sweep, as creosote is a combustible chemical that typically catches fire if reheated.
Whether or not your chimney is being utilised in your property or household, you will still receive frequent airflow, as large remnants of creosote are carcinogenic, making it dangerous or cancerous to inhale, like carbon monoxide.
The Chimney Safety Institute states that outdated systems won't burn clean, and each time you utilise them, you may be putting your household at further risk.
One of the most significant aspects to keep in mind is that your chimney's exterior must be water-tight no matter the style or appliance type installed into your home or property.
The last thing you want is to invest in and install a pellet stove, wood stove, or gas fireplace that will let in a large amount of moisture and rust your entire system in the space of a year or two.
Do you have a fireplace which needs repair or restoration? If you live in the Hastings and East Sussex area, our expert antique fireplace restoration services can help.