Guides and Tips

What to Do When Your Gas Fireplace Won’t Light

July 16, 2022
What to Do When Your Gas Fireplace Won’t Light

It’s frustrating when gas fireplaces don’t turn on in the middle of winter or on Christmas when family and friends happily come over to our house.

But don’t worry, as it happens to a lot of us. And so to ensure that all of you stay warm and comfortable during the holidays, we’ll help you to deal with this appliance issue today.

So here are the things you can do if your gas fireplace doesn’t light without relying on a reputable HVAC specialist:

1) Ensure the gas is switched on

There is no need to be embarrassed by this simple mistake. We sometimes forget to turn the gas on and overreact, to be honest.

So when your fireplace isn’t turning on, check if you’ve switched on the gas valve because it will not light without fuel.

However, if this isn’t the problem, there can be other ways to troubleshoot it as we will be showing you in a bit.

2) Release air from pilot light tubing

The second thing you can do is to release air from the pilot light’s tubing.

A pilot light is a small flame that stays on even when you’re not using your fireplace. Its purpose is to allow quick-fire startup in cold climates anytime.

In relation to your fireplace not lighting up, the pilot tubing may have stored excess air if you haven’t used it for a while. Now you have to get the air out of it.

To do this, just hold down the pilot light lever for one to three minutes. It should then light and stay lit. Otherwise, its thermocouple (the part that keeps the pilot light lit) might have become damaged and need to be replaced.

3) Check the spark igniter

Check the spark igniter

Other than the tips we’ve mentioned, if the gas is coming in but the flame won’t light, then the spark igniter could be causing the problem.

What you can do for this is to inspect the igniter and thermocouple and see if there’s any dust or debris buildup. If so, clean them using a brush, but ensure the gas is off and be careful in doing that.

Another solution is to spray canned or compressed air onto the pilot part, wait for a few minutes, and see if the gas fireplace lights up. Don’t spray it directly on the flame because the product can be highly flammable.

But if you’re not confident about doing that, we strongly recommend just getting a chimney or fireplace specialist to fix the problem for you. This way, the work can be done safely and efficiently, and the only drawback is that you’d have to pay them.

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