Local gas fireplace repair in Doctors Inlet

What a correct pilot flame looks like

Each manual shows its pilot flame in a drawing, and the drawing matters. On a standing-pilot assembly of the kind the manuals draw, one flame wraps the tip of the thermocouple or flame sensor, another wraps the thermopile, and a third reaches toward the main burner to light it. A flame that is too small leaves the sensors cool, and one that is too large can lift or sit in the wrong place.

We compare the live flame with the drawing, clean the pilot hood and orifice if the flame is weak or yellow, and adjust the pilot where the valve provides for it. The adjustment is small and made with the unit running.

When the ignition module locks out

An ignition module gives the pilot a set number of tries, or a set time, to light and prove its flame. If it fails, the module shuts the gas off and some models lock out until they are reset by switching power off and on, as the manual describes. A single lockout after a long idle period can be air in the line or dust in the pilot. Repeated lockouts are a fault, and the flow chart takes us through power, spark, gas at the pilot and flame sensing in order to find it before the module itself is suspected.

Checking the vent termination outside

The vent termination is the part of a gas fireplace that sits outside, out of sight from the room, and it is where trouble from outside starts. Nests, leaves and wasp activity can block its openings, a shrub can grow into the clear zone in front of it, and a knock from a ladder or a mower can dent the cap.

On a direct-vent unit, a blocked or damaged termination can also let exhaust into the intake. On service we walk outside, check the cap, its screen and its clearances, and note any growth or damage. Plants are trimmed back to the clear zone the manual sets.