Your family-owned chimney company in South Semoran

Gas fireplaces vent in different ways, and knowing which kind you have explains a lot about how it should be serviced. In South Semoran, an Orlando neighborhood with official city boundaries, our technicians often start a gas fireplace visit by identifying the vent system, because a vent problem can look like a burner or control problem from the room.

Direct-vent fireplaces are sealed. They use a pipe-within-a-pipe vent that brings outside air in and sends exhaust out, through a wall or the roof, and the glass front is part of that seal. B-vent, or natural-vent, fireplaces draw air from the room and send exhaust up a metal vent pipe through the roof, relying on the rising hot gases to draw.

Vent-free units have no vent at all and release their exhaust into the room. Gas logs in a masonry fireplace use the chimney itself as the vent. Each type fails in its own way. A direct-vent unit with a blocked or damaged termination may shut down or burn poorly. A B-vent unit with a disconnected or damaged pipe, a blocked cap or poor draft can spill exhaust into the room.

Vented gas logs with the damper closed or the flue blocked send exhaust into the house. That is why we check the vent, the cap and the connections along with the burner. The manufacturer's installation manual sets the vent type, the pipe, the route and the termination for each model, and parts must come from that list.

If a remodel or a new roof has changed the vent, we check it against the manual. If gas is suspected, or a carbon monoxide alarm is sounding, get everyone outside first, then phone 911 or the gas utility. The inspection in South Semoran is free with our locally owned and operated company. Vent and fireplace repairs are quoted in writing, with no surprise charges, and booking within 72 hours after the inspection takes 10% off. Our workmanship warranty covers the repair.