Gas fireplace repair and service in Apopka

Propane fireplaces and their tanks

Inside, a propane fireplace works much like a natural gas one, but its fuel comes from a tank managed by the household and its gas supplier. Two vent manuals say the tank goes outdoors, never inside any structure, and they set a minimum tank size to avoid performance problems.

The natural vent manual also calls for an external regulator between the propane supply and the fireplace, and warns never to connect the fireplace directly to the supply. The appliance itself has to be set up for propane, which its rating plate shows.

Some propane complaints are simply supply, and the same troubleshooting charts list an empty tank as one reason the pilot will not light. On your Apopka visit, the plate and the pressure at the valve are checked, and anything involving the tank or its regulator is left to your gas supplier.

A wall switch that stopped working

Many gas fireplaces can be turned on from a switch on the wall. On the millivolt and electronic systems in the manuals we have read, that switch runs on low voltage. It is not a light switch, even when it looks like one.

The direct vent and natural vent manuals from one maker both warn not to connect the wall switch to a household circuit and limit the switch wire to a set length and gauge, noting that extended lengths may keep the fireplace from working properly. An insert manual adds that low voltage and household voltage cannot share the same wall box, so the two are run apart.

The switch and its wire run are tested with the checks in the maker's troubleshooting table, which isolate the switch, the wire and the valve terminals one at a time. A switch that was swapped for an ordinary light switch or tied into house wiring is written up for correction before the fireplace in your Apopka home is run from the wall again.

If you smell gas near the fireplace

Natural gas and propane have no smell of their own. The fireplace manuals explain that an odorant is added so a leak can be noticed, and warn that the odor can fade, so gas may be present even when you notice no odor. Some gas is heavier than air and settles near the floor.

When there is a smell of gas, the manuals and the NFPA heating safety tip sheet agree on what comes first. Leaving comes before calling.

Only after the gas company or fire department says the home is safe should anyone look at the fireplace again. That look is work for a qualified service person.

• Do not light the fireplace or any other appliance
• Do not touch electrical switches or use a phone inside
• Get everyone out of the home
• Call the gas company or 911 from outside

Service panels that must stay removable

Every gas fireplace has to be opened for service, and the code protects that. The Florida Building Code, Fuel Gas, says panels, grilles and access doors that are removed for normal servicing shall not be attached to the building. It also requires appliances and their controls to be accessible for inspection, service, repair and replacement without removing permanent construction.

Remodels sometimes forget this. A tiled surround that runs over the edge of a front, trim screwed across an access panel, or a built-in cabinet or TV wall that closes off the controls can turn a simple repair into cutting finished work. An installation manual we work from also says facing and finishing materials must never overhang into the glass opening or block airflow through the barrier front.

Whether the front, panels and controls still come off as the maker intended is part of our technician's look. Where finish work traps them, the estimate says exactly what is in the way, so you can decide how access is restored before any part is ordered.