Family-owned gas fireplace repair serving Southport

Low gas pressure and its causes

When the readings show the fireplace is short of gas, the fault may sit outside the fireplace. One of the manuals we have read adds that supply piping has to be sized to deliver the minimum inlet pressure at full flow, since pipe that is too small causes undue pressure loss.

That manual also warns that excess thread sealant inside a pipe can clog the burner system's valves. Changing that piping is a job for the plumber or qualified gas installer, and our crew does not alter it.

We measure at the appliance, confirm the fireplace side is sound and write the finding on your estimate so the right trade can take it from there. The charts we follow list these causes of low pressure.

• A bent line feeding the appliance
• A restriction in the line
• Low pressure in the supply itself
• A propane tank that has run empty

No extra decor, media or accessories in the firebox

It is tempting to dress up a gas fireplace with extra stones, glass pieces or ornaments. One installation manual allows only accessories its maker approves, warning that unapproved components could make the fireplace overheat and that non-listed accessories void the warranty.

One direct vent manual warns that lava rock or ember chunks scattered on top of the burner may cause sooting, glass breakage and a fire hazard. Anything added can also cover ports or sit in the path the pilot flame uses to light the burner.

We take out anything that is not part of the maker's set and explain why, and approved media or log options for your model can be priced on the estimate. Items like these come out.

• Decorative stones or glass not supplied for the model
• Extra ember chunks on top of the burner
• Ornaments or seasonal decor set on the logs

Cracked or chipped glass takes the fireplace out of use

The manuals are direct about damaged glass. One insert maker says not to operate the fireplace with the glass removed, cracked, broken or scratched, and to replace it as a complete assembly. A direct vent manual from another maker says to replace glass that is chipped, cracked or broken, and that replacement glass door assemblies must come from the fireplace maker, with no substitute materials.

The front on these units is ceramic glass fitted to a frame and gasket, not a pane cut to size at a hardware counter. The insert maker adds that its glass is ceramic, to be replaced only with ceramic glass obtained through the dealer. Until the new assembly is in, the fireplace stays off, even when the crack looks small.

Glass work belongs to our gas fireplace glass replacement service. On a repair visit, our technician confirms the damage, reads the model from the rating plate so the right assembly can be matched and looks at the burner and media for anything the manuals link to breakage. The glass then appears as a separate line routed to that service.

A new deck, fence or addition near the vent cap

A vent cap that met its clearances when it was installed can lose them later without anyone touching the fireplace. A seasonal owner task in one manual is to verify the termination cap's clearance to later construction, naming building additions, decks, fences and sheds. Makers publish those clearances in the installation manual, and they differ by model and by what sits near the cap.

A natural vent manual lists related causes of poor draft in its troubleshooting table, including a cap obstructed by a decorative enclosure and buildings, trees or roof lines interfering with the venting. A privacy screen built around a cap to hide it can create exactly that problem.

If you have built near the cap since the fireplace went in, mention it when you arrange a visit to your Southport home. Our technician looks at the new work against the cap, and any clearance question goes to our gas vent service with the model named, so the right clearance table is used.