Gas log installation by local pros in Kirkman North

Yellow flames by design

Vented log sets are made to look like a wood fire, with tall yellow flames. One maker says its unit is designed to burn with yellow flames and that adequate ventilation is absolutely necessary.

Yellow flames produce more soot than the blue flames of a sealed gas fireplace, which is why the flue and damper rules matter so much. Our crew explains how the look and the venting go together before you choose between vented and vent-free sets.

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 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

Checking pressure with every appliance running

A log set shares its gas line with the water heater, the dryer, the range and sometimes a pool heater. One maker notes that other gas appliances on the same line may drop the pressure reaching the log set and asks for pressures to be checked with everything operating.

Our technicians do that test when a set runs well alone but shrinks or shuts down when the house is busy, and they explain whether the fix belongs to the log set or to the supply.

Spreading the media evenly

The sand or vermiculite in a burner pan has to be loose and even for the gas to spread across the burner. One maker lists media packed down too tightly as a cause of a burner not burning evenly.

Its fix is to loosen the media along both sides of the burner pipe and even it out in the pan. Our installers spread it that way at installation and check it again at each service visit, since media settles over time.