Gas Fireplace Maintenance: How Often and What’s Required?
The fall and winter are great times to think about gas fireplace maintenance. There’s nothing more cozy during the colder months than cuddling up with loved ones in front of the fireplace, so you want to ensure it’s working just as it should be. This guide reviews how to maintain a gas fireplace and when to contact a professional for your cleaning needs.
How Often Should You Maintain Your Gas Fireplace?
You can conduct your own gas fireplace maintenance to an extent by checking and cleaning the components regularly. However, it’s important that you contact a professional for a thorough inspection once a year. This is also the right time to perform any other maintenance on the fireplace your technician deems necessary.
Essential Maintenance and Cleaning Tasks
Whether you know how to maintain a gas fireplace on your own or wish to have a professional take care of the task, several things need to happen whenever you inspect and clean it.
1. Shutting Off the Pilot Light
The pilot light allows you to ignite your fireplace on demand because it always burns a small amount of natural gas. When you turn your gas fireplace on, the pilot light ignites the gas that fills the fireplace inside. For your protection and safety, it’s important to shut off the pilot light and your gas line when you’re performing maintenance.
2. Cleaning Your Fireplace Surfaces
Glass and metal are the two main surfaces that require cleaning. When your fireplace is burning, it may discolour your metal and glass with soot and other forms of gunk. Don’t be tempted to use traditional glass cleaner on your gas fireplace because it could leave bad smells behind and gases that pose hazards the next time you turn it on. Use a cleaner designed specifically for gas fireplaces instead.
3. Airflow and Louver Maintenance
Poor airflow in your gas fireplace can quickly become a safety concern. When cleaning, wipe down all of the places air flows through with a microfiber cloth to make sure that air can flow without restriction. Using your fireplace throughout the year can cause dust, soot and other materials to build up in these holes. Do the same for your louvers if your fireplace is equipped with them.
4. Final Inspection
The final inspection involves wiping down the interior and exterior of the fireplace and looking for any last signs that something isn’t working the way it should. For example, if you notice visual defects on the outside of your fireplace, this could be a sign that something isn’t working properly within your fireplace. A professional may be able to locate and repair the problem before it causes even more damage.
When to Call the Professionals
While many DIY tasks around the home can save you money, gas fireplace maintenance requires special treatment due to the intricacies and potential dangers it poses. Unless you have extensive knowledge of how gas fireplaces work, you could be risking your family and home when performing your own maintenance.
Top Hat Home Comfort Services has all of the tools and experience needed to get the job done right for you so that you have peace of mind all year round. Contact us today to schedule your fireplace cleaning and inspection.
