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Gas Log Installation in Seattle, Tacoma & Everett
A vented gas log set sized and placed for your firebox, burner set and damper clamped by our qualified technician. Free quote, same-day often available.
- Free 2nd-opinion quotes
- Price match + 10–25% discount
- Same-day service often available
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A gas log set is the simplest way to get a gas flame into a wood-burning fireplace. It is a burner, a grate, a set of ceramic or refractory logs and an ember bed, installed in the open firebox and vented up the existing chimney. Done right, it looks like a real wood fire and lights with a switch. Done wrong, with the wrong size, logs placed off the burner pattern, or a damper that can still close, it soots the logs, smells, and can send exhaust into the room.
This page is specifically about installing a log set. It is narrower than the gas fireplace conversion page, which covers the whole wood-to-gas decision including whether a sealed insert would serve you better, and it is different from gas fireplace installation, which is a whole new factory-built unit. If you already have a log set that burns wrong, see gas fireplace repair.
Our qualified technician sizes, sets and tests the log set; a qualified gas fitter runs gas to the firebox. We serve Seattle, Tacoma, Everett and the road-accessible Puget Sound from our Renton office. The quote is free, and we price match a written quote and take 10–25% off. Call 206-453-2045.
Symptoms
Signs you need gas log installation
- You want the look of a wood fire in your masonry fireplace without the wood
- The firebox is sound and the chimney drafts well, so an insert feels like overkill
- You already have a gas stub at the hearth from a previous owner
- An old gas log set is crumbling, rusted, or missing logs
- You want the lowest-cost way to use a fireplace that has sat idle
- You like an open fire and do not want glass in front of it
- You want a log set that runs from a wall switch or remote
Common causes
- Ceramic logs degrade with years of heating and cooling and eventually crumble
- A log set sized too small for the firebox looks lost; too large and it overheats the walls
- Logs placed off the burner's pattern catch the flame and turn black with soot
- A burner valve or pilot assembly that has corroded in a damp, unused firebox
- A damper that was never clamped open, so the set cannot be used safely
How It Works
Our gas log installation process
Before we recommend a log set, our technician measures the firebox opening, depth and height, checks the damper and smoke chamber, and scopes the flue to confirm it is sound enough to carry gas exhaust. We look at where gas can enter the firebox and whether a stub already exists. A vented log set needs an open, working flue; if the chimney is unlined or damaged, we tell you that and point you toward a liner or a sealed insert instead, because a log set in a bad flue is not something we will install. The free quote names the log set, burner size and any chimney work.
Measure and free quote
Our technician measures the firebox, checks the damper and flue, and quotes a log set sized correctly for the opening.
Chimney prep
The flue is swept if needed and the damper is fitted with a permanent clamp so it can never fully close.
Gas line to the firebox
A qualified gas fitter brings gas to the hearth and pressure tests the line before the burner is connected.
Set the burner and grate
Our technician positions the burner and grate on the firebox floor, connects the gas and pilot, and tests the valve.
Place logs and ember bed
Logs, embers and sand or vermiculite are arranged to the manufacturer's diagram so flames pass between the logs without touching them.
Light, test and walkthrough
We run the set through its cycle, confirm flame pattern and draft, check our connections, and show you the controls.
Options
Repair and service options
Log sets come in more variety than most people expect, and the choices change the look, the heat and what your chimney needs:
- Vented logs: the standard for a masonry fireplace. Tall, realistic yellow flames, must vent up the open flue, damper clamped open. Ambiance first, heat second.
- Vent-free logs: burn with a smaller blue-tipped flame and release combustion products into the room; restricted or not permitted in many jurisdictions. We generally do not recommend them and will tell you what applies at your address.
- Match-lit, millivolt or electronic ignition: from a simple key valve to a standing pilot with a wall switch or remote, to electronic ignition with no standing pilot.
- Log style and size: oak, birch, driftwood and split-log looks in sizes matched to the firebox; we size to the opening, not to the biggest set that fits.
- Chimney work if needed: a sweep before install, a damper clamp, and a cap that keeps rain out of a flue that now runs cooler.
If you are not happy, we are not done, and we come back at no charge.
Pricing
What affects the price
- Log set size, style and brand
- Ignition type: match-lit, millivolt with pilot, or electronic with remote
- Whether a gas stub already exists at the hearth or a line must be run
- Chimney condition and whether a sweep is needed first
- Damper clamp or a top-sealing damper and cap if the chimney has none
- Replacement of an old log set and disposal of the old parts
- Permit fees where they apply
Every chimney is different, so you get a written quote after we look at the system. Ask about our price match and free second-opinion quote.
Safety & Seattle Conditions
Safety considerations
If you smell gas, leave the house, do not switch anything on or off, and call your gas utility or 911 from outside. Nothing else on a gas log set is homeowner work: the burner, valve, pilot and gas connection are set and tested by our qualified technician or a qualified gas fitter. Do not reposition the logs yourself either; log placement is what keeps the flame from sooting and the set from producing excess carbon monoxide.
A vented log set must run with the damper open, always, which is why we clamp it. Keep the firebox clear of anything flammable, do not burn wood or paper on or around a gas log set, and have the set and flue looked at yearly; NFPA 211 recommends an annual inspection of fireplaces, chimneys and vents. A carbon monoxide alarm near the fireplace is a sensible companion to any vented log set.
Seattle & Puget Sound conditions
Gas log sets suit the masonry fireplaces found throughout the region's older neighborhoods. Tacoma's median home dates to 1967, Lakewood's to 1975, Edmonds' to 1974 and Seattle's to 1976, and those homes tend to have brick fireboxes with a working flue, which is exactly what a vented log set needs.
The chimney above a log set runs cooler than it did with wood, so it dries less between rains. Sea-Tac averages 40.34 inches of precipitation a year and roughly 150–156 days with measurable rain, and an uncapped flue over a gas log set takes that water straight to the smoke shelf and firebox. A cap is part of almost every log set install we do for that reason.
Our Work
Gas Log Installation in action
Want a gas fire in your wood fireplace? Get a free quote.
Vented log sets measured, set and tested by our qualified technician. Free quote, price match plus 10–25% off. Call 206-453-2045.
☎ 206-453-2045 Request a QuoteQuestions
Gas Log Installation FAQ
Do gas logs heat the room?
Vented gas logs are mostly for the look of a fire. The damper is clamped open, so much of the heat goes up the flue just as it does with wood, and some room air follows it. You will feel warmth in front of the fireplace but it is not a heating appliance. If heat is the goal, a sealed gas insert is the better choice, and our conversion page compares the two.
Do I need a chimney sweep before installing gas logs?
If the fireplace has burned wood, usually yes. Creosote and soot left in the flue can smell when heated and can fall onto the burner and logs. Our technician checks the flue during the measuring visit and, if it needs it, sweeps it before the log set goes in. It is also the moment we confirm the flue is sound enough to vent gas.
Why do my gas logs turn black?
Black soot on the logs means the flame is hitting a log instead of passing between them. That happens when logs are placed off the manufacturer's pattern, when a log has shifted, or when the burner ports are dirty. Do not move the logs yourself; our technician resets them to the diagram and cleans the burner. Properly placed logs stay clean and the glass and walls stay soot-free.
Can I put gas logs in a factory-built fireplace?
Only if the log set is listed for that specific firebox, and many prefab wood fireplaces are not approved for a log set. Our technician checks the fireplace's rating plate before recommending anything. In a masonry fireplace with a sound flue, a vented log set is straightforward; in a prefab unit, a listed insert is often the safer route.
What size log set do I need?
It is set by the firebox, not by preference. The set needs clearance to the side walls and the back, room for the flame above it, and the burner has to sit where the draft carries exhaust up the flue. We measure width at the front and back, depth and height, then choose the largest set that keeps those clearances. A set that is too big overheats the firebox.
Do I have to keep the damper open with gas logs?
Yes, permanently. A vented log set produces exhaust and carbon monoxide that must always have a path up the flue, so we install a clamp that stops the damper from closing. That means the flue is open year-round, which is why a good cap and sometimes a top-sealing damper that locks open are part of the install.
How soon can you install gas logs?
If you already have a gas stub at the hearth and the chimney is in good shape, the install is often done on the first visit once the set is in hand. Running a new gas line adds the fitter's schedule. Same-day measuring visits are often available, the quote is free, and we price match a written quote and take 10–25% off.
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