Navarre Gas Fireplace Troubleshooting: What You Can Check and When to Call Us

Five Checks Any Owner Can Make

A surprising number of no-heat calls turn out to be simple. Before scheduling a repair, try these in order. None of them involve opening gas connections.

• Batteries: replace them in the remote, the receiver and any battery backup pack
• Wall switch or thermostat: make sure it is on and, for a thermostat, set above room temperature
• Shutoff valve: confirm the fireplace's gas valve is open, with the handle in line with the pipe
• Other gas appliances: if the stove or water heater also has no gas, the issue is upstream, so call your gas utility or propane supplier
• Pilot: on standing-pilot models, see if it is lit through the viewing window or behind the lower panel

Relighting a Pilot the Right Way

Relighting is designed to be done by the owner, and the steps are printed on a label on the unit, usually behind the lower grille or on the valve. Follow that label exactly. Generally, you turn the control knob to off and wait several minutes so any gas clears, then turn to pilot, press and hold while sparking the igniter, and keep holding for a short time after the pilot lights so the thermocouple can warm up.

If the pilot goes out the moment you release the knob, do not keep trying for long stretches. Repeated attempts will not fix a worn thermocouple or a clogged pilot, and they release small amounts of gas each time. That is the point to call.

Where DIY Should Stop

The line is simple: if the job involves a gas fitting, a burner, the valve, or removing parts from inside the firebox, it belongs to a gas fitter. Each of those touches the gas train, and any disturbed connection has to be leak-tested afterward with the right tools.

Leave these to a professional

Thermocouple, thermopile and igniter replacement; adjusting flame height beyond the control knob or air shutter changes; repositioning logs on units where the glass has to come off; anything involving the gas valve, regulator or supply line; fuel conversions; and any work after you have smelled gas.

Signs to stop immediately

A gas odor, a puff or bang on ignition, soot building up quickly, cracked glass or a carbon monoxide alarm. Turn the fireplace off. If you smell gas, leave the house and call the gas utility or 911 from outside before calling us.

What We Do When We Arrive

We pick up where your checks left off. That means testing millivolt output from the thermocouple and thermopile, cleaning the pilot orifice and burner, measuring gas pressure at the valve, checking the switch circuit and inspecting the vent. Because we know what you already tried, the visit goes faster. We explain the cause, give you a price and do the repair once you approve it.

Rural properties around Navarre often run on propane, and a fireplace problem is sometimes a supply problem: a low tank, a frozen regulator vent or an undersized line. Our Navarre propane line service covers those, and we also handle natural gas piping for homes in the village.

Thinking About a New Fireplace?

If your current unit is beyond saving, or you want to add one, we install direct-vent and vent-free fireplaces and inserts, sized for the room and connected to the fuel you have. A free estimate covers unit options, vent routing and the gas line. See our Stark County gas fireplace page for a full rundown.