Glass, Doors and Seals
- Ceramic glass replacement
- Door and hinge repair
- Rope seal replacement
- Latch and handle repair
- Warped door correction
- Airtightness tested after repair
Smoking fireplaces, cracked glass, failed rope seals, rusted flues and doors that will not seal, repaired across Cape Town. We service what we install and plenty that we did not.
A fireplace that smokes back, burns through wood too quickly or will not hold a fire usually has one of a handful of faults: a perished rope seal letting air in the wrong place, a warped door, a blocked or undersized flue, or a chimney that needs sweeping and relining.
We find the cause first. You get told what is wrong, what it costs, and whether the repair is worth doing on your particular unit. Most repairs are completed in a single visit because the diagnosis happens before we arrive, from your photos and a short description.
Honest working ranges from recent jobs. Every project is different, so we quote the exact figure before anything starts.
| Item | Typical price |
|---|---|
| Call-out and diagnosis within Cape Town | No call-out fee |
| Rope seal replacement (door and glass) | R850 – R2,200 |
| Ceramic glass replacement | R1,400 – R4,800 |
| Flue section or cowl replacement | R1,800 – R6,500 |
| Chimney sweep and inspection | R950 – R1,800 |
| Firebrick or baffle replacement | R1,200 – R4,500 |
| Gas fireplace fault repair and re-test | R1,200 – R3,800 |
Parts prices depend on the make and model, so every repair is quoted after diagnosis. Marine-grade components on coastal properties are quoted separately.
Get my free quoteGlass and doors. Cracked or crazed ceramic glass, warped doors, failed hinges and latches.
Rope seals. The most common and most overlooked fault. A perished door or glass rope lets uncontrolled air in, which burns your wood fast and blackens the glass.
Flue and cowl. Rusted sections, short flues causing downdraught, missing or wrong cowls, and roof flashings that leak.
Firebricks and baffles. Cracked vermiculite or cast baffles, which wreck efficiency and eventually the firebox itself.
Chimney work. Sweeping, relining older masonry chimneys, and fitting spark arrestors.
Gas fireplaces. Regulators, jets, thermocouples and leak testing, with a Certificate of Compliance where the work requires it.
Real repair and upgrade jobs from recent Cape Town homes, photographed on site.
Tell us the room size and we will shortlist the right unit with an installed price.
Salt air. Within about a kilometre of the sea, standard galvanised flue components corrode fast. We replace them with marine-grade 316 stainless, which lasts several times longer.
Damp winters. Moisture in the chimney accelerates creosote build-up, which is both an efficiency problem and a chimney fire risk.
Wet wood. Burning unseasoned wood is the single biggest cause of glass blackening, creosote and poor heat output. Dry wood under 20 percent moisture makes an enormous difference.
Wind. Exposed sites and the south-easter cause downdraught that no amount of user technique will fix. The answer is flue height and the right cowl.
Usually downdraught from a flue that is too short or an exposed site, a blocked or undersized flue, or negative pressure in the room from an extractor fan. Occasionally it is simply a chimney that needs sweeping. A site visit or a few photos identifies which.
Almost always wet wood or a perished rope seal. Unseasoned wood produces smoke that deposits on the glass, and a failed seal lets uncontrolled air in, which stops the airwash system from keeping the glass clear. Both are inexpensive to fix.
Yes, most of our repair work is on units installed by other companies. We carry common parts and can source model-specific components for the major brands.
Annually, before winter. A service covers sweeping, seal and glass checks, baffle inspection and a flue condition report. It also matters for insurance if you ever need to claim after a chimney fire.
Often yes, if the firebox is sound. Seals, glass, baffles and flue sections are all replaceable. If the firebox itself has failed we will tell you plainly whether a replacement unit makes better financial sense.
