Propane and natural gas fireplace repair in Baldwin Park

Direct vent, B-vent or a log set

Three quite different gas appliances can sit behind a fireplace opening, and each is serviced to its own instructions. A sealed front, a draft hood and an open firebox fail in different ways, so a check that fits one can mislead on another.

One direct vent manual puts the difference plainly. Its units draw all of their combustion air from outside through the vent pipe, while the natural vent units in a companion manual must be installed with the draft hood in the same air pressure zone as their combustion air inlet.

At the start of a visit in Baldwin Park, the appliance type is the first thing named on the estimate. Vent-free units are routed to our ventless gas fireplace service, and the three types this repair service covers are these.

• A direct vent unit with a sealed glass front
• A natural vent, or B-vent, unit with a draft hood
• A decorative gas log set in a fireplace built for wood

When the manuals are long gone

Manuals go missing over the life of a house. The rating plate stays with the fireplace, though, and it carries the model and serial number. An owner's manual we work from even has a page for owners to write down the model, serial number, installation date and dealer.

With those numbers, the maker's library can often supply the owner and installation manuals again. The settings and parts they list can then be checked against the unit itself.

Some things cannot be confirmed without paperwork, such as when the unit went in or which parts were changed before, and we say so plainly. Your estimate lists the model and serial read from the plate and marks anything that could not be verified. These details help if you have them.

• The model and serial number from the rating plate
• The dealer who sold or last serviced the fireplace
• Any invoice from an earlier repair

Grounding and the fireplace circuit

Any fireplace with a fan, lights or electronic ignition is also an electrical appliance. The manuals we have read require it to be wired and grounded per local codes or, where there are none, the National Electrical Code. Florida's fuel gas code adds a rule that is easy to miss. Gas piping shall not be used as a grounding electrode.

Ground matters to the ignition as well as to shock safety. An electronic ignition troubleshooting table lists poor or no system ground as a cause of a pilot that sparks but never lights, and has the ground wire on the valve wiring checked at the metal chassis. A natural vent chart from another maker notes that a poor or erratic ground may cause an occasional shutdown even when the fireplace works normally at checkout.

Inside the appliance, our technician tests the ground connections and labels wires before disconnecting any control, as the manuals direct. A fault in the house wiring is noted on the estimate for a qualified electrician.

Gas company or 911 first, then our emergency line

If you smell gas or a carbon monoxide alarm sounds, get everyone out of the house first, then call 911 or the gas company from outside. Do not light anything or touch electrical switches on the way out. That comes before any call to a repair company, including ours.

Once the gas company or fire department has made the home safe, our 24/7 emergency line is there for the fireplace itself. That covers a unit the responders shut off and told you to keep off until it is checked, a fireplace damaged in an incident, or controls that no longer respond.

Our technician starts with the rating plate and with what happened, what the responders did and what was shut off. The fireplace stays off until the cause is found and written on your estimate. For homes in Baldwin Park, the free inspection and written estimate apply to emergency calls too.