Is Your Gas Fireplace Ready for Winter?

When the first cold front rolls through Birmingham, a lot of homeowners flip on the gas fireplace for the first time since spring. Before you do, it’s worth a quick check, because a fireplace that sat unused for months can have problems you can’t see.

Scheduling gas fireplace service in Birmingham before the cold settles in is the easiest way to avoid a cold night with a fireplace that won’t light. Our gas fireplace team sees the same issues every fall.

What can go wrong with a gas fireplace after a summer off?

Several things can go wrong while a fireplace sits idle. Spiders and insects nest in burner ports and pilot tubes, dust settles on the logs and burner, remote and receiver batteries die, and the glass can collect a white film. Any of these can affect how your fireplace lights and burns.

Nests in the burner ports or pilot tubes can cause a weak or uneven flame. That white film on the glass blocks the view, and it can also be a sign of incomplete combustion, so don’t just wipe it off and forget it.

When should you call a technician for your gas fireplace?

Call a technician if the pilot won’t stay lit, the flame is mostly yellow or orange, you see soot, or the fireplace lights with a loud whoosh. If you ever smell gas, leave the house and call the gas company first, before anything else.

Here are the warning signs to watch for:

• The pilot won’t stay lit.
• The flame is mostly yellow or orange instead of blue with yellow tips.
• You smell gas.
• You see soot on the glass or on the wall above the fireplace.
• The fireplace makes a loud whoosh when it lights.

What can homeowners check themselves?

You can handle a few simple checks yourself: replace the remote batteries, clear the area in front of the fireplace, test your carbon monoxide detectors, and watch the flame once it’s running. Leave the burner and gas valve alone. Those are jobs for a trained technician.

Testing your detectors takes a minute and matters most when you’re about to run a gas appliance again after months off. If the flame looks wrong once it’s going, shut it off and call us.

What does a professional gas fireplace service visit cover?

A professional visit covers the whole system, not just the flame. We inspect and clean the burner, pilot assembly and thermocouple or thermopile, check gas connections for leaks, test safety controls, clean the glass, check the venting, and position the logs so the flame burns cleanly.

Many homeowners schedule this at the same time as a furnace tune-up. Members of our DouglasCare maintenance program can add fireplace service to their plan.

Frequently Asked Questions