Gas Fireplace Not Lighting, Sooting Up or Smelling Wrong?

Safety first: the smell of gas is not a fireplace problem

If you smell gas, whether the fireplace is running or not, leave the house, leave the door open behind you, and call your gas utility or 911 from outside. Do not operate switches, do not try the fireplace, and do not touch the valve or gas line. We are not the first call for a gas leak, and neither is any other fireplace company. Once the utility has cleared the home, call us about the fireplace.

The problem family: ignition, combustion and venting

A gas fireplace has three things that can go wrong: it does not light, it lights but burns badly, or it burns fine but does not vent properly. Each shows up differently.

How to tell which sub-problem you have

It will not light, or the pilot keeps going out

Usual causes: a dirty or failed thermocouple or thermopile, a dead battery in the remote receiver, a pilot assembly clogged with dust and spider webs, or a wall switch or control module that has failed. Do not relight the pilot yourself or work on the valve. Have a qualified technician diagnose it with the gas off and a manometer in hand.

Soot on the glass, logs or mantel

Soot means incomplete combustion. Logs set out of position, a burner port blocked with debris, embers piled on the burner, or an air shutter out of adjustment are the common reasons. Soot on the wall above a vent-free unit is a sign to stop using it until it has been serviced.

Cloudy or white film on the glass

Usually mineral deposits from combustion, a cleaning item, not a safety issue. Cracked or loose glass, on the other hand, is a stop-and-call item on a direct-vent unit, because the sealed glass is what keeps exhaust out of the room.

Moisture, staining or a metallic smell near the vent

Venting. A direct-vent termination cap that is damaged, a vent pipe that has separated in the chase, or a gas log set venting into an old masonry flue that is too big or has failed tiles. The last one is a real hazard: condensation from gas exhaust eats mortar, and a blocked or failed flue can send exhaust back into the house. A chimney inspection with a camera is how we confirm the flue behind a gas log set is sound.

What to do first

• Make sure carbon monoxide alarms in the home are working. If one sounds, get out and call 911.
• Turn the fireplace off at its switch or remote and leave it off.
• Note the brand and model from the plate under the unit, and what the symptom is.

Then call 206-453-2045. Tell us the symptom and the model and we will tell you honestly whether it is something our crew handles, whether it belongs to the gas utility, or whether the unit's manufacturer-authorized dealer is the right call for a proprietary control part. Gas log sets in masonry fireplaces share everything with a wood fireplace except the fuel, so firebox and flue issues route to our fireplace repair and chimney repair pages. A cap that lets rain into the gas fireplace chase is on chimney cap replacement.

Annual service is cheap insurance

NFPA 211 recommends an annual inspection for every chimney and vent in use, gas included. A yearly look at the burner, logs, glass seal, vent and termination is how small ignition and sooting problems stay small. Quotes are free and same-day visits are often available.