Your gas fireplace repair team in Oak Ridge

Standing pilot, intermittent pilot or direct ignition

Under Florida's fuel gas code, a gas fireplace may light its main burner with a direct ignition device, an ignitor or a pilot flame. That gives three families. A standing pilot burns the whole time the system is in service, an intermittent pilot is lit only when heat is called for, and a direct ignition device lights the burner itself.

The family can often be read on sight. One Heatilator manual, for example, says a red or black ignitor button in the control area marks a standing pilot, and no button marks its electronic intermittent pilot system. Some controls can even be set up either way, as one maker's command center allows.

The family decides the diagnosis because the parts differ. A millivolt standing pilot depends on a thermocouple and thermopile, while an electronic pilot depends on a module and a flame sensor, so our technician confirms the family before any test is run.

Controls with no power at all

An electronic ignition fireplace that shows no sign of life, no click, no beep and no spark, points to power before gas. The troubleshooting table for one electronic system starts with AC power at the junction box, the adapter that feeds the module and the position of the module's selector switch. Its installation manual also calls for a reset switch on the surround that must be installed and on for the appliance to operate.

The same manual sets two wiring rules. The power cord of that ignition system must not be wired to a switched circuit, because that overrides the safety lockout, and where the fireplace sits in a bathroom or near a sink, the circuit needs ground-fault protection under the electrical codes. Our technician works along the path below and prices the part that failed.

• The breaker and the outlet the cord plugs into
• The reset switch on the surround
• The adapter between the cord and the module
• Backup batteries, where the system uses them

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.

If you smell gas near the fireplace

Natural gas and propane have no smell of their own. The fireplace manuals explain that an odorant is added so a leak can be noticed, and warn that the odor can fade, so gas may be present even when you notice no odor. Some gas is heavier than air and settles near the floor.

When there is a smell of gas, the manuals and the NFPA heating safety tip sheet agree on what comes first. Leaving comes before calling.

Only after the gas company or fire department says the home is safe should anyone look at the fireplace again. That look is work for a qualified service person.

• Do not light the fireplace or any other appliance
• Do not touch electrical switches or use a phone inside
• Get everyone out of the home
• Call the gas company or 911 from outside