The Importance of Annual Inspections for Gas Fireplaces
Gas fireplaces are a popular alternative to standard wood-burning fireplaces because gas burns much more cleanly than wood. Gas fireplaces produce almost no smoke, and very few other residues, so cleaning is less of an issue.
However, that doesn’t mean you can neglect maintenance and cleaning. You should still contact a gas fireplace store for an annual cleaning and inspection. It’s a small price to pay to ensure your fireplace is in good shape and will help it keep running clean for decades to come.
Why Your Gas Fireplace Needs Professional Cleaning and Inspection
Ensure the gas lines are all in good shape
Gas has a lot of advantages over wood – as long as the gas goes where it needs to. However, there’s always the possibility of gas lines becoming clogged or damaged over time, and you absolutely do not want gas leaking into your living room or bedroom.
A professional annual inspection will help make sure all the gas lines and connections are solid, keeping you safe from accidents. They’ll also check out the ignition system to ensure that’s in good functional shape as well.
Cleaning debris out of the vents, flue, and/or chimney
Although rare, even a gas fireplace can get clogged up over time. It can be as simple as a bird building a nest on top or your chimney or vent cap or a spider hiding out in your burner or pilot tube. These two minor issues can cause you headaches. It’s important to do annual maintenance on your fireplace to avoid these issues.
Checking, repairing, and/or cleaning your glass window
Over time, the glass on your fireplace will become dirty or even cracked, just through everyday use and normal wear-and-tear. Besides looking ugly, cracked glass has a higher chance of shattering. It’s also important to make sure the gasket seal around the window is working properly to keep all the products of the combustion like carbon monoxide from leaking into your home.
Cleaning up residue
As clean-burning as gas fireplaces are, they still put out small amounts of emissions which can build up over time. Plus, you have your usual dust and dirt making its way into the fireplace, which can get baked onto the sides as you use the fireplace.
Checking your carbon monoxide detector
You do have a carbon monoxide detector near your gas fireplace, right? It’s vital to have one, just in case gas or fumes do start to escape the fireplace. A professional fireplace inspection will check the nearby CO detector(s) to make sure they’re working.
Stamford Fireplaces is your all-in-one source for everything fireplace-related in the Niagara area, from installations to basic cleanings and inspections. If it’s been more than a year since you’ve inspected your gas fireplace, contact us to schedule an appointment!
