Reading the Signs: Gas Fireplace Repair in Tallmadge

What the Flame Color Means

Gas fireplaces are designed to show some yellow; that is what makes the flame look like a wood fire. But there is a difference between soft yellow tips on a mostly blue base and a tall, dark, smoky orange flame that wanders around the logs.

• Blue base with yellow tips that stay off the glass: normal for most log sets
• Mostly yellow-orange, lazy flames that touch the logs heavily: too little air, often from a misadjusted air shutter or logs out of place
• Flames lifting off the burner or blowing out: too much air or excessive gas pressure
• Uneven flame with dead spots: clogged burner ports or media piled over them
• Pilot flame small, flickering or bent away from the sensor: dirty orifice or a draft

Soot, Glass Film and Black Streaks

Soot is unburned carbon, and it means combustion is not clean. On a gas fireplace, the most common cause is logs that have been moved, even slightly, so flames hit them where they were not designed to. Others include a dirty burner, a misadjusted air shutter or the wrong fuel setup after a conversion. Black streaks on the wall above the opening, or a sooty vent cap outside, point the same direction. Stop using the fireplace until it is corrected, since conditions that make soot can also raise carbon monoxide.

A white or gray haze on the glass is a different thing. It is mineral residue left by combustion, and every gas fireplace makes some. Clean it once the unit is cool with a cleaner made for fireplace glass; household glass cleaners can etch it. If the film builds up unusually fast, the burner may need adjustment.

Noises Worth Paying Attention To

Gas fireplaces are fairly quiet machines, so a new sound usually has a cause. Here is how we sort the harmless from the ones that need a visit.

Ticking and pinging

Metal expands as it heats and contracts as it cools, so some ticking at startup and shutdown is normal.

Rumbling or roaring

Often a burner running with too much gas or air, or a dirty burner. It deserves a pressure check and cleaning.

Whistling

Can come from a regulator, a partly closed valve or a gap in the glass gasket. Worth tracking down.

Grinding or squealing with the blower on

Usually worn blower bearings or dust on the fan wheel. Cleaning sometimes helps; a worn motor needs replacing.

A puff or bang on ignition

Delayed ignition. Gas is building up before it lights. Stop using the fireplace and call for service.

Smells: Normal, Annoying and Dangerous

A warm, dusty smell when the fireplace first runs each fall is normal. A lingering musty or chemical smell can come from household sprays, candles or cleaning products drawn into the room and burned near the unit, or from pet hair and dust on the burner. A sharp rotten-egg smell is gas. If you notice that, leave the house and call the gas utility or 911 from outside before calling us.

How We Fix What the Signs Point To

On a service call, we remove the glass, clean the burner, pilot and logs, reset the logs to the exact positions in the manual and adjust the air shutter. We check gas pressure at the valve and the condition of the vent and termination. On units converted between natural gas and propane, we confirm the conversion was completed with the correct kit.

If your supply piping is part of the problem, our Tallmadge natural gas line service can correct it. When a fireplace is worn out, we will price a new direct-vent or vent-free unit with a fresh connection. Some owners use the opportunity to switch to an open gas log set in Tallmadge instead. Our fireplace service overview has more on both.