Gas Fireplace Spring Cleaning Tips
A safe, comfortable blaze.
Your gas fireplace burns much cleaner than the old wood burning fireplace. But that doesn’t mean you can forget about annual maintenance and inspections.
The relatively sparse maintenance requirements are a great perk of your new gas fireplace, but relatively is the key word. It requires less maintenance than your old wood burning fireplace, but still require annual maintenance to maintain a safe state of operation.
Neglecting annual maintenance can put your family and home in danger.
We strongly urge you to book spring maintenance for your gas fireplace today.
Here’s why.
Debris can still cause trouble.
Your whole gas fireplace should be cleaned annually, at the end of your primary use season, so it’s ready for another year of use.
The extreme heat in your gas fireplace can cause debris buildup. Ceramic logs are shockingly durable, but still deteriorate over time. It’s important to get that and other debris removed from the gas burners in your fireplace.
The inside and outside of the fireplace glass also needs to be cleaned of all residue. Your gas fireplace burns cleaner than a wood fireplace, but byproducts still present themselves. If left for a few seasons, they become a noteworthy fire hazard.
Examining your ventilation
Chimney sweeping is worth every dollar invested.
A chimney should be inspected annually, even with a gas fireplace that doesn’t cause a buildup of creosote or soot in the flue lining. Creosote is the most well-known chimney obstruction and fire hazard, but certainly not the only one to worry about. Other debris may block the chimney, an animal nest for example.
When a chimney falls into a state of disrepair, the entire fireplace can suffer. If the ventilation system fails, your whole household is vulnerable to carbon monoxide.
Keep it working right.
Assumptions are usually bad. If you assume, year over year, your gas fireplace is in perfect working condition, you’re setting yourself up for disaster.
Over time, the thermopile and thermocouple can wear down. Connections and valves develop leaks. Ceramic logs may slide out of place and can degrade to the point of replacement.
Keep your fires under control.
Open combustion systems have the potential to start fires in the house. Your gas fireplace is designed to keep the fire contained, but needs regular service to ensure it’s up to the task.. The same level of awareness and respect given to wood-burning fireplaces should be applied to gas fireplaces, and this includes getting an annual cleaning and inspection by a qualified professional.
