Your local gas log installation team in Mills 50

When the fireplace needs work before the logs

The same manual warns that some older fireplaces may need repair before the appliance is installed. A cracked firebox panel, a damper that will not open fully or a blocked flue all have to be dealt with first.

Our specialists list any repair on its own line of the estimate, separate from the log set, with upfront pricing. That way you can see what the fireplace needs for the set to run safely, and what the set itself costs.

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

A little smoke on the first burns

New ceramic logs and fresh factory coatings need to burn in. One vent-free manual says slight smoking may occur during initial operation as the logs cure and the heater burns off manufacturing residues.

The same manual says the heater is designed to be smokeless, so if the logs appear to smoke after that, turn it off and have a qualified technician look at it. Our installers run the first burn with you and explain what is normal.

The first light, done by the manual

The first time a new set is lit, our technician follows the lighting instructions printed for that set, step by step, with you watching. Each control has its own sequence, and doing it once together makes the next time easy.

We then let the set run, watch the pilot and the main burner, check for flames reaching toward the screen and confirm the shutdown works. Any adjustment the manual allows is made before we leave.

A pilot that will not light at all

A pilot that clicks without lighting has its own short list in one maker's troubleshooting table, from low gas pressure and a closed shutoff valve to a loose igniter wire, a blocked pilot hood, air in the line or dead batteries.

Some of these take a minute to fix and some need a part. Our technicians find which one it is and tell you before any part is ordered, with upfront pricing.