Check out the nice fireplace below. Looks good, right? Unfortunately, this system is a problem waiting to happen, and a very dangerous situation. See below for further explanation…
This is an older wood burning factory built fireplace, commonly called a Pre-Fab fireplace. At some point, the system was converted from wood burning to gas. However, check out the next photo below:
The data plate above clearly states “for use with solid wood fuel only.” ONLY! This pre-fab firebox was designed to only handle wood, not gas. The problem is the gas will likely overhead the system beyond what it was designed for. This is a problem for any surrounding combustibles (all the wood framing around the fireplace), and the additional radiant heat could break down the components of the chimney system. But since you can’t see those internal components, you won’t know they’re breaking down until one day – a fire breaks out! Regrettably, our Chimney Champions® technician had to inform this client that their system was unsafe for further use in it’s current configuration. But that’s better than dealing with a fire in their home!