Expert: James Ball - 2/27/2010

Question
My house was built in 1952. The fire place unit that was installed is a Heatilator metal firebox/fireplace unit. The problem I have is where the back wall of the metal fire box meets the metal damper . The middle area, about 16 inches,of the damper/hinge/upper firebox is all rotted out. can this be repaired,replaced. Are replacement parts still available?

Answer
Hello Len you can not repair these units, most people just install a new top mount damper or remove the old metal box and rebuild the firebox (as per local building code), I would have a local Certified Chimney Sweep www.csia.org, (there you can look up by zip code to find one near you) take a first hand look at what you have they should be able to help.
Hope this helps
James