Don’t Let These Critical Steps Go Unchecked During Your Fireplace Service Call
Your modern gas fireplace is a unique appliance. Not only does it provide warmth during the winter, but it creates an unbeatable ambiance as it fills your living space with a comforting glow.
They burn cleaner than a wood-burning fireplace and can easily be installed in any room in your home for maximum enjoyment.
Maintaining your gas fireplace is essential to ensure proper function and maximum safety for your home and family. Failure to schedule annual fireplace maintenance could lead to system failure, house fires, or dangerous carbon monoxide levels.
While some general upkeep is fine for homeowners to conduct, other gas fireplace maintenance procedures are best left to the professionals. A properly trained gas fireplace technician will check your system top to bottom, clean the unit, add ember, and evaluate the gas line.
Curious about what happens during a gas fireplace tune-up? Take a look at the five most essential tests conducted during a routine gas fireplace maintenance call.
Your Home Is An Investment
Don’t let your fireplace become a hazard!
Five Best Practices During A Gas Fireplace Tune-Up
When your gas fireplace sits unused for spring and summer, dust, spiders, and other contaminants clog the controls and can lead to inconvenient repairs.
This means you need a fireplace technician to evaluate your system each season before firing your unit up for the first time.
Here are five best practices that you can expect from a fireplace maintenance visit.
Gas Line Test
The gas line is an essential component of your unit. Only a qualified technician will be about to evaluate your unit’s gas line correctly. They will measure the gas pressure and adjust accordingly.
Not only will they check for gas leaks and ensure the gas line is in good condition, but they will evaluate the settings and make the necessary changes to ensure your fireplace function is smooth and safe.
Pilot Assembly Inspection And Cleanup
A pilot assembly is a group of parts that maintain your unit’s pilot light and help spark a flame. Here are the elements that make up your pilot assembly.
- Control Valves
- Pilot LIght
- Thermocouples or Thermopiles
- Blowers And Blower Parts
- Switches And Piezo Sparkers
Because there are so many components, the pilot assembly makes a cozy home for spiders and other insects in the summertime. These critters can create massive issues in your system if they are allowed to stay.
A fireplace technician will inspect and clean up this area to ensure everything functions properly. They will also ensure that your system’s flame sensors, known as thermocouples or thermopiles, are at the proper levels: 25-35 millivolts.
Gas Log Check
Sure, they aren’t natural logs, but the ceramic or cement logs in your gas fireplace are part of the whole package. Over time, their original colors will begin to fade and look worn.
Not only do they increase the aesthetics of your unit, but gas logs also increase the efficiency of your fireplace. A qualified fireplace technician will check your firebox and gas logs to ensure they are functioning correctly.
Fireplace Service Is Essential
Schedule annual maintenance for added safety and peace of mind!
Ignition Control Sequence Evaluation
The ignition control sequence is the process that leads your gas fireplace to light. There are three types of gas fireplaces:
- Millivolt Systems: Your fireplace has a pilot light that runs continuously.
- IPI Systems: IPI, or intermittent pilot ignition, systems allow you to light your pilot light with a wall switch, toggle switch, or remote control and leave it off when the system is not in use.
- Safety Pilot System: This ignition type has a continuously running pilot light, but to turn on your fireplace, you will have to turn a stem or knob manually to turn on your fireplace
Your fireplace technician will evaluate this system of flame sensors and valves to ensure all settings are correct and everything is functioning correctly.
Safety Control Operation Sequence
Finally, your fireplace technician should check the operation sequence of your safety controls.
Modern fireplaces have safety shut-off sequences in place that go into place if the system malfunctions.
The technician will check these systems during the inspection to ensure they do not fail when you need them.
Warning Signs That You Need Gas Fireplace Repair Services
Annual maintenance calls for your gas fireplace will help you avoid minor issues that can balloon into extensive, expensive repairs.
But how do you know if you need repair services rather than just a maintenance call? Here are some warning signs that your gas fireplace requires repair services.
| Warning Sign | It Could Mean | You Should |
| You Smell Rotten Eggs And/Or Hear A Hissing Sound |
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| Your Pilot Light Won’t Stay On |
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| You Notice Soot Buildup On Fireplace Glass |
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| Your Fireplace Turns On And Off Automatically |
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Just like your HVAC unit, a gas fireplace is a mechanical unit that experiences wear and tear.
Regular maintenance will help extend the life of your gas fireplace, but if you sense it’s near the end of its life cycle, consider visiting a fireplace showroom to look at increasing the value of your home with a newer model to your home.
Trust R&T Services With Your Gas Fireplace Maintenance
For over 30 years, R&T Services has provided the Billings, MT area with top-quality services for their heating and air conditioning units.
Not only do we offer routine gas fireplace maintenance, but we have over 50 fully functional fireplace models on display in our exceptional showroom.
Our experts are here to work with you to improve the function of your existing unit or help you choose a new gas fireplace for your home.
Contact us today to schedule service for your gas fireplace.
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Book an appointment for annual service today!
