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Effective Gas Fireplace Repair Tips for the Average Homeowner

Having your gas fireplace breakdown or quit working right is not only a hassle, it can also be quite hard to diagnose and repair if you don’t know what you’re doing. If you’re an inexperienced homeowner, then you’ll want to apply these easy gas fireplace repair tips, so you can get your fireplace back to working the way it’s suppose to.

Fix your gas fireplace by diagnosing and repairing

Now, there are several reasons why your gas fire place may not be working the way it should. In fact, the top five problems homeowners face when they have a fireplace.

  • Trouble with the ignition
  • Pilot light failure
  • Thermopile problems
  • Faulty burner
  • Unpleasant odors and sounds

Trouble with the ignition

The first thing you’ll want to do is check your breaker box and for tripped switches. If you do see a switch has been tripped, you’ll want to reset it and any other switches that have been tripped. In addition to this, you’ll also want to locate the gas valve and open it up if it got closed. The third thing you’ll want to check is your propane levels. If you run out of propane, your fireplace will stop working.

Pilot light failure

A very common reason why a fire place may quit working could be due to a failure with the gas fireplace pilot light. For those who are unfamiliar with what the pilot light is, the pilot light serves as an ignition source for your fireplace. If your fire place won’t turn on, start by checking to see if it has been blown out. This can happen if your fireplace is near a window or a door.

If your pilot light has been blown out, you’ll want to relight it and then test it. However, if your gas light still will not light, then there’s more than likely a problem with the wiring or the thermopile. If it’s a wiring problem, you’ll want to call professional assistance.

Thermopile problems

The thermopile is a sensor device that’s main purpose is to create voltage. If the thermopile becomes faulty, your fireplace cannot run. To make sense of what the thermopile is, it’s a lot like the thermocouple, but today the thermopile is being used a lot more in newer gas-powered appliances, especially with gas-powered fireplaces.

If you think that your thermopile maybe faulty, you’ll want to start by testing it. To test your thermopile, you’ll need to equip yourself with a digital multimeter. These can be purchased at most home improvement stores. Once you have your digital multimeter, test the thermopile leads. These leads are found on the gas control valve.

If after you test your thermopile you realize it’s bad, you’ll then want to call a professional to have it fixed. You can do it yourself, but it’s quite a complicated process, especially if you’re inexperienced with this sort of thing.

Faulty burner

There are a few things that can cause your burner not to work properly. This in return will also stop your gas fireplace from working as well. First, you want to make sure your thermostat is set up properly and not set on a special setting that may be preventing your fireplace from working. A lot of gas powered appliances these days have timers and can be controlled from a mobile device.

In addition to this, you’ll also want to make sure that you clean your burner on a regular basis. If your burner gets to grimy and filthy, it can prevent your fireplace from performing the way it’s designed to. If you don’t know how to do this, call a professional and have them properly clean your unit.

Unpleasant odors and sounds

If your gas furnace is making unpleasant odors, it can become quite annoying. Most likely the reason for this is due to an unclean fireplace. If you haven’t cleaned yours in quite some time, your fireplace will stink. It’s recommended that you do this on a regular basis. This includes the flue and the chimney.

On the other hand, if your gas fireplace makes weird noises, you may want to check into this. Although it could mean nothing, there is a chance your blower might be going bad. When your blower needs to be repaired, it’ll make a high-pitched shrieking sound. If you think your blower does in fact need to be replaced, it’s best to call a professional.

Other gas fireplace repairs

In addition to the things listed above, other gas fireplace repairs that can affect your fireplace’s ability to perform as efficiently as it should may include wiring problems, gas valve leaks and broken or defective pipes. All of these are pretty complicated issues that should be fixed by a professional.

Michael Joseph