Gas fireplace repair for Gotha homes

Intermittent pilot ignition and its control module

On an intermittent pilot ignition system, usually shortened to IPI, a control module runs the start. It sparks the pilot, senses that the pilot flame is really there and only then opens gas to the main burner. When the fireplace turns off, the pilot goes out as well, which Heat & Glo's owner manual describes as normal for its IPI units.

That module needs power. The installation manual for those units calls the power cord connection required for the IntelliFire Touch ignition to work, with a battery backup for outages. The same module can lock itself out after a fault and flash an error code until it is reset.

Power, spark, flame sensing and the signal to the valve are separate steps, and our technician checks each one on a visit in Gotha. The estimate names the step that failed rather than listing a new module by default.

Low gas pressure and its causes

When the readings show the fireplace is short of gas, the fault may sit outside the fireplace. One of the manuals we have read adds that supply piping has to be sized to deliver the minimum inlet pressure at full flow, since pipe that is too small causes undue pressure loss.

That manual also warns that excess thread sealant inside a pipe can clog the burner system's valves. Changing that piping is a job for the plumber or qualified gas installer, and our crew does not alter it.

We measure at the appliance, confirm the fireplace side is sound and write the finding on your estimate so the right trade can take it from there. The charts we follow list these causes of low pressure.

• A bent line feeding the appliance
• A restriction in the line
• Low pressure in the supply itself
• A propane tank that has run empty

Only the fan kit the maker approves

Adding a fan to a fireplace that never had one sounds like a simple upgrade. The manuals warn against doing it casually. Among its warnings, a sealed-unit manual says not to use a blower insert, heat exchanger insert or any other accessory not approved for use with that fireplace, and its natural vent manual carries the same warning.

An insert maker says to use only its approved optional accessories and warns that non-listed accessories could create a safety hazard. Florida's fuel gas code expects an appliance to be listed and labeled for the application in which it is used, and a fan the listing never covered sits outside that.

The parts list for your model settles it. Where the maker offers a fan kit, that kit and its wiring go on the estimate with the model it belongs to. Where it does not, you hear that plainly, and no universal fan is fitted in its place.

Exhaust odor or a B-vent burner that goes out

A B-vent, or natural vent, fireplace relies on a draft hood and a vent that draws well. When the pilot and main burner both drop out while running, the troubleshooting table in a Vermont Castings Group natural vent manual names three causes, a leaking inner vent pipe that sends exhaust back into the system, a horizontal run sloped the wrong way, and a vent cap that is blocked or was put on wrong.

Exhaust that is not leaving the home properly can carry carbon monoxide. If a CO alarm sounds, or anyone feels unwell while the fireplace runs, get everyone outside to fresh air and call 911 from there. Leave the fireplace off until it has been inspected.

Vent faults belong to our gas fireplace venting service. On a repair call, our technician confirms whether a shutdown traces to the vent or to the pilot and valve, so each fault is sent to the right place.