Fireplace repair · North metro
Your fireplace should burn, not smoke up the room.
Dampers, fireboxes, smoke chambers and hearths on wood-burning fireplaces. We fix them ourselves.
If the room fills with smoke every time you light a fire, the panels in the back are cracked, or the damper won't close and you feel cold air coming down all winter, something's wrong in there. We'll find out what it is, show you pictures, and fix it.
We work weekdays, 8 to 5. Pick any time on the form and Kari will call you to set the exact one.
Smoke coming back into the room
When smoke rolls out the front of the fireplace, it's usually one of three things. The flue is packed with buildup, the smoke chamber above the damper is rough and stepped so the smoke can't get up it, or the opening is too big for the flue above it. We run a camera up the chimney first, so we fix the real cause instead of guessing. A rough smoke chamber gets smoothed out with a coat of refractory mortar. If the flue has more than an eighth of an inch of buildup, it gets swept the same visit.
Cracked panels and a firebox coming apart
The back and sides of a factory-built wood fireplace are refractory panels. Years of heat crack them, and once the cracks open up, the fire gets at the metal box behind them. New panels stop that. In a brick fireplace, it's the mortar between the firebrick that goes first. We grind out the bad joints and repoint them, and when the firebox is too far gone for that, we rebuild it in new firebrick.
A damper that won't close, or won't open
An old cast iron damper rusts, warps and sticks. When it won't seal, the heat you paid for goes up the chimney all winter and the cold comes down. We fix the one you have when it's worth saving. When it isn't, we put a new damper on top of the chimney. It seals tight, you work it with a handle in the fireplace, and it keeps rain and animals out. Or we drop a new one in where the old one sat.
Hearths, and what's under them
A hearth that's cracked or too short lets embers land on the floor. We build new hearths and extend old ones. And when we open one up and find wood framing or other stuff that can burn sitting under it, we take it out and build it back the right way.
When the old fireplace is done
Some factory-built wood fireplaces are past fixing. The box is burned through, or the parts aren't made anymore. We pull the old unit and put in a new wood-burning fireplace, and we can put doors on it while we're there.
What it costs
It depends on what's actually wrong, and nobody should give you a number before they've looked. Call Kari at 320.414.0191 and tell her what your fireplace is doing. She'll get you on the schedule. We look at it, take pictures of everything we find, and you get a written quote before any work starts.
Google reviews
What people wrote after we left.
“We thought initially we just needed to fix the flashing, but when Jason dug into the problem, we found the chimney extension that was done 25 years ago had an improperly installed vapor barrier... It is so nice to not worry about drip-drip-drip every rain storm.”
“We bought an old house and the chimney was in need of urgent repair... we not only got something functional but also beautifully designed and crafted. We knew exactly what it'd cost and what we were paying for.”
“I got a call back right away the next business day and was scheduled. Jason called and let us know when he would be on his way to our house. He inspected it, showed us pictures of our chimney, and explained the process.”
“The team who worked on our new chimney liner and damper left things super clean and we love that we can have a fire in our fireplace for the first time in a lonnnnnnnnnng time.”
“Returned call same day and scheduled inspection... I was given estimate the next day. They demoed old chimney, installed new liners, and built an awesome new chimney. Wow! Totally satisfied!”
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How it goes
What happens after you call.
You call, we set a time.
We call you back and give you a time, then call again when we're on our way.
We look inside the firebox and up the flue.
Panels, mortar, damper and smoke chamber, with a camera up the chimney, and pictures of all of it.
You get the pictures and a number.
In writing. Nothing starts until you say go.
Fireplace repair questions
Why does my fireplace smoke when I light it?
Usually the flue is dirty, the smoke chamber is too rough for the smoke to get up it, or the fireplace opening is bigger than the flue can handle. A camera inspection tells us which one, and then we fix that.
Can cracked firebox panels be replaced, or do I need a new fireplace?
Most of the time the panels can be replaced on their own. The whole fireplace only needs replacing when the metal box behind the panels is burned through or warped. We'll show you pictures either way.
My damper is stuck. Do I need a new one?
Not always. If it's just rusted or out of line, we can usually get it working and sealing again. If it's warped or cracked, we put in a new damper, often one that sits on top of the chimney and seals tighter than the old cast iron one.
Do you fix brick fireplaces and factory-built ones?
Both, as long as it burns wood. Brick fireplaces get repointed, rebuilt in firebrick, or get their smoke chamber smoothed out. Factory-built wood fireplaces get new panels, damper parts, or a new unit when the old one is done.
How much does fireplace repair cost?
It depends on what's wrong. Call Kari at 320.414.0191. She'll ask what the fireplace is doing and get us out to look. You get the pictures and a written quote before anything starts.
Where we fix fireplaces
The north metro, town by town. Tap yours.
What's your fireplace doing?
Call Kari at 320.414.0191 and tell her. Or book an inspection online and we'll come look.
We work weekdays, 8 to 5. Pick any time on the form and Kari will call you to set the exact one.
Got pictures of your chimney? Email them to info@elementhearthandhome.com with your name and number, and Kari will get them to Jason.