Restoring a Metal Firebox Damaged by Hurricane Katrina
DEAR TIM: My house was flooded with 4' of water during hurricane Katrina on 8-29-05. My built-in wood burning fireplace, which is a metal box, is starting to rust. Can I wire brush the rust and clean with a strong cleaner and avoid having to replace it? Walter B.
DEAR WALTER: You absolutely can clean the firebox and reuse it. The only thing that would be a reason to condemn it is if the metal firebox has developed a crack or hole that would allow embers or hot flue gases to bypass the box and enter anything other than the chimney.
The fire and draft created by a fire will help sanitize the unit. Do not bother to paint the firebox as the heat will destroy most common paints.
Tim built custom homes and did ultra-custom remodeling for 20+ years before launching his Ask the Builder media presence. He was selected as one of the Big 50 by Remodeling magazine in 1993. This award gave birth to Ask the Builder in October 1993. Tim also operates https://DrawPlumbingPlans.com. His @askthebuilder YouTube channel was the first home improvement channel on YouTube.