Local gas fireplace repair with a free inspection in Pine Hills

The flame sensing rod on an electronic pilot

An electronic pilot proves its flame with a thin metal rod that sits in it. The module reads a small signal through the flame, and if the signal is missing it keeps sparking or shuts the gas off, and it may lock out.

Soot and corrosion on the rod weaken that signal. A manufacturer's yearly service list calls for the rod to be inspected, polished with fine steel wool or replaced, and for the flame sense circuit to be checked for a short between the pilot hood and the rod. One natural vent chart adds a cracked ceramic insulator, loose connections to the module and a pilot flame that does not cover the rod.

For homeowners in Pine Hills, those checks come before any module is blamed. A rod that cannot be restored is replaced as the manual directs, which on some models means the whole pilot, and the estimate says which.

Battery backup and power outages

An IPI fireplace needs power for its module, so an outage can leave it dark. Some systems carry a battery backup. Heat & Glo's IntelliFire Touch, for example, takes a battery pack that lets the fireplace run during an outage.

Makers do not treat those batteries alike. Heat & Glo says they are for emergency use and has the technician confirm on the yearly service that they were removed, to prevent early failure or leaking. One Heatilator manual likewise says to install them only when needed because they may leak. A command system from another maker instead keeps its batteries in as backup and asks for them to be replaced when the light shows low or at least once a year.

Which arrangement your fireplace uses is checked first, along with the battery holder. Damage from leaked batteries is noted on the estimate with the part it affects.

A pilot that keeps going out

A standing pilot that goes out now and then, rather than refusing to light, has its own list of causes. In one maker's millivolt charts, frequent pilot outage is traced first to a pilot flame that is too high or too low, which lets the pilot safety drop out. The remedy listed is cleaning and adjusting the pilot for full contact with the thermocouple.

Other causes sit outside the pilot. The same manuals say the fireplace should not be installed in windy or drafty areas, and they list vent faults among the reasons the pilot and burner can go out together while running.

Our crew in Pine Hills cleans and adjusts the pilot as your model's manual allows and watches it through a full run. A vent fault found along the way is written up separately for our venting service.

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