Gas log installation in Bay Ridge

Clamping the damper open for vented logs

Running a vented set against a shut damper is never allowed. One maker ships a clamp with its set, fixed to the damper blade for good, so the damper can never shut past the minimum opening, and it wants the damper wide open whenever the burner is lit.

The clamp is a small part with a big job, since it stops anyone from shutting the damper on a set that is still warm or about to be lit. Our installers fit it, measure the opening and show you where it is.

Why a log set smokes or soots

Smoke and soot from a gas log set have a known list of causes. One maker's troubleshooting table covers the chimney, the damper, the burner position, the media, the air openings and the logs themselves.

Our pros work through that list in order at your home, because the fix for a closed damper is nothing like the fix for a propane burner running on natural gas.

• Poor draft, downdraft or a closed damper
• Burner too close to the front of the firebox
• Media placed wrong or packed too tight
• Air mixer closed or air shutters blocked
• Logs out of position
• Burner built for the other gas
• Accessories that do not belong to the set

A regulated propane supply

Propane tanks hold gas at pressures far above what a burner can take. One log set maker says the propane source must be regulated, warns against connecting the set directly to an unregulated tank and rules out a portable propane cylinder entirely.

Regulators and tank connections belong to your propane supplier or gas contractor. Our crew checks that the supply reaching the set is regulated and lists any supply work for others on its own line.

An equipment shutoff valve you can reach

Log set manuals rely on an equipment shutoff valve on the supply line to the set. One maker uses it to isolate the set during low-pressure tests of the piping, and it is also how the gas to the set is turned off for service.

A valve buried under media or hidden behind a new hearth is not much use. Our crew checks that the valve works and stays reachable once the set is in, and shows you where it is.

If you smell gas at the fireplace

Log set manuals open with the same steps for a gas smell. Light nothing, touch no electrical switch and make no phone call from inside. Leave the house right away and call the gas utility from outside or from a neighbor's phone, and call 911 or the fire department if the utility cannot be reached.

Nobody should hunt for the leak. After the utility or the fire department has made the house safe, the set stays off until a qualified technician has found and repaired the cause.