Gas log installation and replacement in Apopka

Cleaning the fireplace before the burner goes in

Years of wood fires leave material behind that a gas burner should not sit under. Before its set goes in, one log set maker wants the flue, the damper and the firebox scrubbed free of soot, ash and flaking paint and looked over by a qualified professional.

Our crew does that cleaning and inspection as the first stage of the job, so the damper will clamp, the flue is open and nothing falls onto the new burner the first time it warms up.

Minimum firebox size for each burner

Every burner has a smallest fireplace it can go into. In one maker's table, the 18/20 inch burner calls for a firebox no narrower than 26 inches across the front and 20 across the back, at least 15 inches deep and 17 inches tall.

Its 24 inch burner needs 30 inches at the front and 24 at the back, and its 30 inch burner 36 and 29, with the same depth and height. Our crew measures all four dimensions in your firebox and compares them with the table for the set you want.

• Front width
• Rear width, measured at the burner's depth
• Depth from the opening
• Height of the opening

Placing each log by the diagram

Every log set comes with a placement diagram, and flames that strike a log in the wrong place leave soot. One maker allows some flexibility in placement to suit your taste, as long as significant sooting does not occur.

If black carbon keeps building on a log, the same manual calls it a sign of incomplete combustion and says to move that log so the flame touches it less. Our installers set the logs to the diagram and show you which ones not to move.

A burner that shuts down partway through

When a log set goes out after running a while, one maker's troubleshooting table lists several causes, each with its own fix. Our technicians check them in order before recommending new parts.

Most of these are found and fixed on the first visit, and the estimate says which one it was.

• Gas pressure too low or too high
• Logs out of position
• Soot in the flue, fireplace or damper area
• A fireplace too small for the burner
• A pilot flame lifting off its sensor
• Debris or lava granules on the burner ports

Btu ratings on vented sets

Vented log sets are rated in Btu per hour like any gas appliance. One maker rates its three burner sizes at 40,000, 55,000 and 65,000 Btu per hour on either gas.

The rating matters for the gas line, which has to deliver that flow at the minimum pressure, and for the damper opening the manual requires. Our crew reads the rating for the set you choose and checks the supply against it.