Gas Fireplace Maintenance: Why It’s Important

As with all heating appliances in a home, gas fireplaces need a certain amount of maintenance to keep them running safely and efficiently. Fire N’ Stone of Tilton, NH, installs a lot of gas fireplaces and provides emergency and routine maintenance for them.

Here’s what you need to know about gas fireplace maintenance.

“Low maintenance” doesn’t mean “no maintenance”

Gas fireplace logs burn a lot cleaner than wood logs, and they don’t cause buildups of flammable creosote in the chimney that have to be professionally swept.

Still, the logs and firebox of a gas fireplace can become dusty and grimy after years of use with no attention to cleaning. The homeowner can do general cleaning, which includes wiping down the logs and the firebox surfaces. The owner’s manual for your fireplace may recommend other basic maintenance tasks.

Because natural gas or propane is involved in running a gas fireplace, professional maintenance is needed to ensure that everything involving the gas is working like it should.

Gas fireplace inspection

Most fireplace installers and manufacturers recommend that gas fireplaces be inspected once a year. This is the best way to catch early signs of issues that could lead to some serious problems.

The two most critical problems:

• Flames that move through breaks in the firebox and set fire to adjacent home building materials
• A gas leak that sends deadly carbon monoxide into the living spaces of your home

The inspection will check for compromises in the firebox structure and test for gas leaks. Depending on your fireplace model and features, there are other things that an inspection can cover:

• Electronic ignition system
• Pilot light
• Lines that bring the gas to the fireplace
• Glass gasket in direct-vent fireplaces
• The gas logs
• Thermopile
• Thermocouple
• Burner assembly
• Glass fireplace doors

During the inspection, the gas technician should confirm that you have working carbon monoxide detectors placed near your fireplace.

Maintaining gas fireplace venting systems

As noted above, gas doesn’t produce huge creosote buildups the way wood logs do, but it does add combustion particles to the appliance’s flue pipe. Over time, these particles can accumulate and narrow the drafting channel. In extreme cases, carbon monoxide and other combustion gases can spread into your home.

Another reason to take a good look at the vent pipe is to find out if there are cracks or other types of damage. Openings in the pipe – other than the opening at the top – can lead to the escape of gases and inefficient drafting.

A final gas fireplace maintenance task with the vent pipe is to determine if outside debris or water is getting into it. Debris from trees and the nests of small animals can narrow the drafting chamber a lot faster than particulate buildups.

Your inspector will also check for water leaks, which can cause rusting and deterioration throughout the gas fireplace system. Major leaks can result in damage to nearby materials of your home.

Keep your gas fireplace running right with proper maintenance

If you live in the Tilton, NH, area, Fire N’ Stone is ready to help with scheduled and emergency gas fireplace maintenance.

If you’re looking for that perfect new gas fireplace for your home, visit our showroom at 539 Laconia Road in Tilton and see some of the finest fireplace models from industry-leading manufacturers.

For service or more information, reach a fireplace expert by phone or get in touch through our contact form.