Online Gas Fireplace Resources and Information

A natural gas fireplace is the perfect centerpiece for any home.  With a fireplace that is powered by natural gas, you can experience the warmth and romanticism of a traditional fireplace, without all the mess, smoke, and potential danger that comes form burning wood.

There’s nothing quite like a gently crackling fire on a cool evening to warm a room. There’s something about a fireplace that resonates deeply with humans.  Perhaps it’s some fragment of ancestral memory that tugs at the subconscious mind, whispering of long winter evening spent warm and safe with loved ones at the dawn of time. Perhaps it’s no more than memories of winter holidays spent celebrating in front of the fireplace at Grandma’s house, or warming frozen toes after a morning spent racing on waxed sled runners down frosty white hills. Whatever the roots of the human love affair with fireplaces, it’s a love that was built to last. Fireplaces are still immensely popular and for good reason; fireplaces provide beauty and value as well as heat.

Still, in spite our attachment to them, traditional fireplaces have fallen out of regular use and been largely demoted to the realm of mood lighting. That’s because wood burning fireplaces have numerous drawbacks. They are dirty and release smoke. They require regular maintenance. You have to buy wood, chop it, stack it, store it and carry it inside before you can arrange it in the fireplace, get it lit and adjust the damper to prevent your house from filling with toxic smoke. Once lit, a traditional fireplace represents a significant risk of causing a house fire and may even raise your homeowner’s insurance premiums.

Natural gas fireplaces, on the other hand, are clean, smokeless, highly efficient heat sources that can be turned on or off with the flick of a switch or a press of a remote control button. These are not your parent’s gas “fireplaces.” Modern natural gas fireplaces are beautiful, with realistic-looking logs, glowing “embers” and naturally colored and shaped flames. Specially designed burners closely mimic natural burn patterns and logs are available to look exactly like many different types of natural wood. Gas fireplaces are efficient sources of heat, and can even save energy by allowing you to turn down the thermostat but continue to heat living areas.

Gas fireplaces typically do not increase your homeowner’s insurance payments because, although modern gas fireplaces look like traditional wood burning fireplaces, in reality they are high-efficiency natural gas furnaces. Heat is dispersed by a powerful but gentle fan that can be safely turned off so you can enjoy a romantic interlude by the fire even if the temperature outside is unseasonably warm. Today’s gas fireplaces are an efficient, beautiful and convenient addition to your home.

Note: If you have the documentation that came with your fireplace, it is best to review it before you begin to be sure that you understand any specific controls or safety procedures. If any part of your fireplace has been submerged due to flood, contact a qualified technician before attempting to light the pilot.

Lighting your gas fireplace is essential in order to experience the warmth and beauty that they can provide.   Unlike a traditional wood burning fireplace, a gas fireplace is normally self-starting.  Unlike an electric fireplace, a gas fireplace requires use of a pilot light in order to ignite, similar to a gas stove or water heater.

Look in your fireplace to see if you notice a small flame, which is called the pilot light.  If you do not see this flame, then you must first light the pilot before you can start your gas fireplace.

Lighting the pilot light:

Pilot Light

1. If you have a decorative front panel or grill on your gas fire place, always remove it before lighting your pilot.
2. Your valves may be located behind a panel. If so, locate this panel and open it to access your valves and controls.
3. Make sure all of your controls are off and that the pilot really is off.
4. Double check to be sure that the main gas valve and control valve are turned off. If the main gas valve or control valve is on, turn it off and wait no less than five minutes to allow any gas to clear before you continue. These critical steps will help you avoid accidents with your gas fire place.
5. Remove any inner glass doors if you have not already done so.
6. Smell all around the fireplace to be certain that there is no gas present that may ignite as you turn on the pilot. Be sure to smell near the floor because the gas is heavier than the surrounding air. If there is, allow the fireplace to air out at least five minutes before you proceed. If the gas smell does not clear and you have checked again to make sure that all valves are off, you will want to contact a technician to find out if there are any leaks.
7. If there is no gas smell present, turn the main valve on and the control valve to pilot. Push the control valve in about a quarter of an inch as you are turning. If you can’t press the control valve inward using only your hand, contact a qualified technician. Do not use any tools to attempt to press the control valve. Forcing the valve is not only a fire hazard, but may also cause explosion.
8. Press the pilot valve in at least 15 seconds but up to 30 seconds and hit the piezoelectric spark igniter several times at an interval of once per second to turn the pilot light on. When the pilot light is on, a small flame should appear. If the pilot light will not stay on after repeated attempts, call a qualified technician.
9. Hold the pilot valve in for a a minute or so to heat up your thermopile.

Igniting Your Gas Fireplace

Once the thermopile has been heated up, your burner will activate. Once burner is activated, turn the control valve to on and adjust the thermostat to your preferred settings. The thermostat control may be a switch in the bottom panel, a standard light switch, dimmer, or it may be activated using a remote control.

Replace the inner glass door, any bottom access panel, decorative glass panel or grill and make sure it is securely clamped to the front of your fireplace.

Enjoy your fireplace!

Here’s a great video on the subject if you are more of a visual learner:

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u6yMv60Zl90

There are many benefits to using a gas fireplace: they’re cleaner, easier to use, and safer than traditional wood burning fireplaces.  However, it’s important to know the proper way of lighting a gas fireplace and maintaining it in order to avoid any potential issues or dangers that can cause harm or damage.

The first important thing to learn is how your natural gas fireplace works. Your gas fireplace consists of a brick or metal firebox and a chimney flue to vent the exhaust, but instead of a wooden log you have an artificial log that is constructed of cement, lava rocks and even other types of stones that can give the appearance of a natural fireplace. With the exception of the wood and smoke, these fireplaces look and act just like a regular fireplace. The big difference is that gas fireplaces require professional installation by an authorized plumber, but they require very low maintenance and are easily operated. Simply put; just turn the fireplace on and you’ll have a nice cozy, warm fire, just minus the mess.

Although natural gas fireplaces are great, it’s important to take the proper safety steps to make sure that you can enjoy your fireplace without incident. The most obvious step is to make sure that you keep your fireplace clean and free of debris. While the gas fireplace is much less messy it’s still important to annually clean the fireplace and chimney flue to eliminate any residue that may build up.

When your fireplace is not in use you should turn the gas to the fireplace off, this also helps to save on the fuel costs as well as avoiding the potential of gas leaks. Keep in mind that it would be a good idea to also clean out the fans when you turn the gas off to your fireplace. This helps make certain that the air is clean and that helps to ensure your family’s health and safety.

If you have a natural gas fireplace you should also invest in monoxide detector as well. While the amount of carbon monoxide that is emitted from a gas fireplace is small, it’s a good idea to make sure that it’s kept in check as much as possible. Be sure to set a regular schedule of checking and replacing the batteries in your detector.

Finally, is you should have any type of issues with your fireplace be sure to call a certified technician as opposed to attempting the repairs yourself. Although they are fairly low maintenance if you should have an issue with your fireplace you want someone who knows what to look for and can easily fix it. After all, your family’s safety has no price.

Increasingly popular with homeowners and a fuel saver in general, a natural gas fireplace effectively creates the same effect of warmth and coziness as a traditional wood burning unit. Eliminating the hassles of gathering and cutting firewood, cleaning out the soot that accumulates and the natural hazards of an open flame fireplace, a natural gas unit is safe to use, easy to maintain and can literally heat your living room for just pennies a day. The operation of a natural gas fireplace is relatively simple.

Setting Up A Gas Fireplace

Many of the units available can be installed in an existing firepit that is built into the wall, although complete freestanding units are also quite popular. What is required of course is a source of fuel, namely the natural gas itself. A gas line must be run from the main pipe entrance of the home to the location of the fireplace, connected to the gas log and a control switch, and the gas log unit must be securely fastened to the base of the hearth area.  This is usually performed by an accredited plumber with natural gas experience.

What Causes The Wood Burning Effect?

Gas logs mimic the appearance of the real thing, but instead of wood they are manufactured out of a specialized type of fired ceramic clay or cement. Concealed within the log is the actual burner unit, including the standing pilot light. This light is always on by default when the unit is not in use. If for some reason the pilot light goes out, most units have a safety feature that automatically shuts off the supply of natural gas. Also part of the log construction are the accent embers, which are made of a type of rockwool. They have organic components that are mineralized, giving off a glow that resembles actual burning wood coals. They and the rest of the log component are completely fireproof.

Using The Fireplace

When the unit is switched on the gas is sent to the pilot light, which is itself using a small amount of the gas to stay lit. Much like a gas-operated stovetop or water heater the unit now produces heat. Absorbed by the surrounding cement logs, this heat either escapes up the chimney or can be convected via a fan into the surrounding room air. Ventless gas fireplace units produce the most heat and lose very little of this hot air through the chimney flue. The control switch not only increases or decreases the amount of natural gas used, but in most units can be considered the switch that operates the level of glow by the accent embers. Heat sensitive, these embers may change their color or brilliance depending on the temperature of the gas logs.

Custom Designed Units

Most manufacturers and distributors of gas log fireplaces have various designs from which to choose, available for viewing online or in a showroom. Many of the styles are designed to bring out a certain lighting effect and work well with a particular shape and size hearth area. In most cases professional installation is recommended because of the specialized connections made between the log unit and the gas line. Gas log burners must meet ANSI standards and pass fire safety codes before being made legal for sale.

Natural gas fireplaces provide a cozy, comfortable living room atmosphere and are easy to use and maintain. They also can save tremendously on winter heating costs for the home and carry a warranty for the owner’s peace of mind.