Gas log installation sized to your Washington Shores fireplace

Gas logs in a metal factory-built fireplace

Factory-built fireplaces are tested as complete systems, and their manuals say what may be burned in them. One vented log set manual gives separate damper opening figures for factory-built fireplaces, which only matter when the fireplace's own manual allows a log set in the first place.

For vent-free sets the code is stricter. Section 621.7 keeps an unvented decorative heater out of a factory-built fireplace unless that fireplace system is tested, listed and labeled for the use under UL 127. Our pros read both labels before recommending anything.

Odors when the logs are running

Not every odor at a log set is a fault. One maker's troubleshooting table notes that a new home, new carpet or new paint can produce objectionable odors when those fumes are drawn into the fire, and it advises ventilating the area thoroughly before restarting the set.

The same table lists a closed damper as another cause, with the fix of making sure the damper is open. Our technicians check the damper and clamp first whenever an owner reports an odor.

A burner that shuts down partway through

When a log set goes out after running a while, one maker's troubleshooting table lists several causes, each with its own fix. Our technicians check them in order before recommending new parts.

Most of these are found and fixed on the first visit, and the estimate says which one it was.

• Gas pressure too low or too high
• Logs out of position
• Soot in the flue, fireplace or damper area
• A fireplace too small for the burner
• A pilot flame lifting off its sensor
• Debris or lava granules on the burner ports

A regulated propane supply

Propane tanks hold gas at pressures far above what a burner can take. One log set maker says the propane source must be regulated, warns against connecting the set directly to an unregulated tank and rules out a portable propane cylinder entirely.

Regulators and tank connections belong to your propane supplier or gas contractor. Our crew checks that the supply reaching the set is regulated and lists any supply work for others on its own line.

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.