Homeowners with gas heat and fireplaces...question about that pilot light....

[Lisa loves Pooh]

Okay--DH had to get the pilot light going on our fireplace and after the first day--when we shut it off for the night, I made him shut off the pilot light b/c I am paranoid. Then I realized I had to get it going and the light switch was useless without he pilot light.

Then he told me that we had a pilot light going in our heater as he got that going before we needed heat this chilly season of autumn.

Okay--and I'm sure my gas stove has one too, doesn't it.

This is safe, right?

Yes, I am ignorant on this subject. I don't like gas....it terrifies me.

Now--pilot light on in fire place, safe to do if we plan on using fireplace regularly?
(and while on that subject--I presume it is cheaper to run than the actual heater, right--even if the pilot light is left on overnight? It makes the main floor pretty toasty in the daytime. I think one day the thermostat was set for 63 and the air temp on main floor climbed to 70 )

Okay--pilot light good/bad?

thanks!

 

[AKL_Megs]

Your hot water heater has one, too

Not to add fuel to the flame (no pun, really ), our dryer has one (well, sort of), too! I forgot to add the stove, too...

I'm paranoid with you. I HATE being in the basement when the furnace or hot water heater kicks on... and I try to get out of Dodge before the dryer ignites, too!

But yes, it is safe.

 

[Lisa loves Pooh]

Your hot water heater has one, too ;)

Not to add fuel to the flame (no pun, really ), our dryer has one (well, sort of), too! I forgot to add the stove, too...

I'm paranoid with you. I HATE being in the basement when the furnace or hot water heater kicks on... and I try to get out of Dodge before the dryer ignites, too!

But yes, it is safe.

Well aren't you mean....

Thankfully--the dryer is electric. So my top floor is safe for now.

Okay--

At least the fireplace glass is permanently affixed--so the pilot light stays in its own little world.

 

[msmayor]

Consider this: we've lived in our house 15 years this month, with a gas fireplace. The pilot light has been on all 15 years without an issue.

Its perfectly fine to allow the pilot to burn.

Let me offer a hint too, which can offer up a reminder to have someone out to look at it: your pilot should be burning primarily BLUE. That's a sign of complete combustion of the natural gas. If your pilot light is burning more on the yellow/orange side than blue, there is too much oxygen in the mix and while still safe, you should consider calling to have the unit cleaned and inspected.

Now remember, though, that a natural gas fireplace is not designed to burn 'BLUE'; when its on you'll see more natural yellow/orange flame (after the unit has burned a bit). That's normal and not a sign of a problem.

 

[msmayor]

Well aren't you mean....

Thankfully--the dryer is electric. So my top floor is safe for now.

Okay--

At least the fireplace glass is permanently affixed--so the pilot light stays in its own little world.

Not true - it can be removed, but should only be done by a professional or by someone who knows how to handle both the glass and the cleaning.

 

[msmayor]

Your hot water heater has one, too

Not to add fuel to the flame (no pun, really ), our dryer has one (well, sort of), too! I forgot to add the stove, too...

I'm paranoid with you. I HATE being in the basement when the furnace or hot water heater kicks on... and I try to get out of Dodge before the dryer ignites, too!

But yes, it is safe.

Many of today's current gas dryers and ranges have electronic ignition, which means they do NOT have a standing pilot light. These appliances will not light in the event of a power failure; you need to hold a match or flamestick to the burner to get them to light after the gas is on.

 

[Lisa loves Pooh]

Consider this: we've lived in our house 15 years this month, with a gas fireplace. The pilot light has been on all 15 years without an issue.

Its perfectly fine to allow the pilot to burn.

Let me offer a hint too, which can offer up a reminder to have someone out to look at it: your pilot should be burning primarily BLUE. That's a sign of complete combustion of the natural gas. If your pilot light is burning more on the yellow/orange side than blue, there is too much oxygen in the mix and while still safe, you should consider calling to have the unit cleaned and inspected.

Now remember, though, that a natural gas fireplace is not designed to burn 'BLUE'; when its on you'll see more natural yellow/orange flame (after the unit has burned a bit). That's normal and not a sign of a problem.

Pilot is blue--fireplace fire is...colorful. orange with some blue.

Thanks for that tip--now I will investigate it every time it is off now.

 

[Lisa loves Pooh]

Not true - it can be removed, but should only be done by a professional or by someone who knows how to handle both the glass and the cleaning.

well I knew that...i meant that I couldn't go and open a door or anything.

(And I only knew that from when we were reading the directions to get the pilot light up and running...for several months I thought it was odd that we couldn't get into the fireplace. I didn't even know that the little gate in the bottom came off so that we could get the pilot light on.)

 

[Ephany]

When we rented this house, the maintenance man was walking me through everything, including pilot lights. I thought he was joking when he showed me the unit in the hall closet. I couldn't believe that I would have a fire in my closet right outside the bedroom doors! I do not like it, and it's very loud when it turns on. Everyone assures me it's safe, but I still don't trust it. We actually turn off the gas heating in the spring and quench the pilot light just in case; my DH thinks I'm nuts, but I see no reason to have it burning when we don't need to heat the house.

 

[SandrA9810]

So what exactly is the purpose of the glass on a gas fireplace?? It seems like it would be keeping all potential heat from reaching the room. And if it's for safety, then what's the point of the screen in front of the glass? The gas fireplace here has an electrical ignition, so the pilot light only comes on when the flip is switched.

I very much prefer having a nice wood burning fireplace with a crackling fire. So much easier, and sounds nicer.

 

[C.Ann]

I'm paranoid about gas too - and the heat in both of DD's houses that I have lived with them in (along with the hot water heaters) have been gas.. When Dson-in-law remodels the living room here, he plans on turning the current fireplace into a gas fireplace..

Having said that, you have it, so you need to use it.. Just be aware of safety conditions.. If you ever smell even the faintest odor of gas, do not flip on any light switches and do not use your phone (cordless or cell) inside the house to call the gas company and/or fire department.. Take the kids and the phone outside and make the calls from there.. DD learned this from the fire dept. when she detected the odor of gas in their old house.. (It was coming from the hot water heater - in the attached garage..)
She was scared (my DGD was a baby then), so she grabbed the cordless phone, went outside, called the fire dept. and the gas company, and then went next door to the neighbors to wait.. Both the fire dept. and the gas co. said that was exactly how to handle the situation.. Something about flipping light switches and using the cordless phone or cell phone can trigger an explosion if there is enough gas built up inside the house..

Not meant to scare you - but info you need to know if you're using gas in your home.. (And of course I'm sure you've had all new CO detectors installed in the house - right?)

Try to relax and enjoy your new home.. I know it was very, very hard for me to come to grips with it at first when my late DH & I moved in with my DD and her family.. (I've always had oil heat and electric appliances..)

 

[Lisa loves Pooh]

So what exactly is the purpose of the glass on a gas fireplace?? It seems like it would be keeping all potential heat from reaching the room. And if it's for safety, then what's the point of the screen in front of the glass? The gas fireplace here has an electrical ignition, so the pilot light only comes on when the flip is switched.

I very much prefer having a nice wood burning fireplace with a crackling fire. So much easier, and sounds nicer.

It doesn't seem to inhibit the heat. But with 4 children, it certainly prevents them from playing with the fake longs and the pilot light.

It actually toasts things quite nicely. Unfortunately in our home search, not a single house had a log burning fireplace. I thought that was weird, but also thought that perhaps I Did not know any better.

Yes C. Ann--I think we do have Carbon Monoxide detectors..it is at least what my husband has said the millions of times I asked.

The only stinky smells around these parts are the wandering skunks in the 'hood.

 

[C.Ann]

Yes C. Ann--I think we do have Carbon Monoxide detectors..it is at least what my husband has said the millions of times I asked.

The only stinky smells around these parts are the wandering skunks in the 'hood.

Seriously though, I can relate.. I was scared crazy at first - still not "in love with it" - but - we gotta do what we gotta do - right?

 

[Magic Mom]

I leave mine on all winter, and I hardly notice it. I turn to piolot off in the summer though, because as small as it is, it still produces noticable heat.

 

[MarkBarbieri]

I love my natural gas fireplace, dryer, cooktop, and water heaters. It's clean burning. It's inexpensive. It's an abundant resource produced right here in the United States and it provides lot of good jobs to hard working Americans.

Full disclosure: I work for a company that finds, produces, transports, and markets natural gas.

 

[RUDisney]

Not true - it can be removed, but should only be done by a professional or by someone who knows how to handle both the glass and the cleaning.

Huh, this is interesting. My DH told me I could remove the glass last year to clean it. Evidently, if it isn't cleaned periodically, the soot buildup can scratch the glass... or so he told me.

When I tried to remove the glass, it was too heavy for me since I have an achilles tendon where my tricep used to attach to my elbow. I can't lift really heavy things anymore without pain or with ability. Anyway, I had my DS help me. We cleaned it and put it back together again. Piece of cake.

I leave mine on all winter, and I hardly notice it. I turn to piolot off in the summer though, because as small as it is, it still produces noticable heat.

Not to mention that you pay for the gas that allows the pilot to burn. I don't mind paying for it in the winter because the fireplace has a thermastat that turns it on and off, but I don't want to pay any more than I have to in the summer for gas.

 

[MyDizneyBoyz]

So what exactly is the purpose of the glass on a gas fireplace?? It seems like it would be keeping all potential heat from reaching the room. And if it's for safety, then what's the point of the screen in front of the glass? The gas fireplace here has an electrical ignition, so the pilot light only comes on when the flip is switched.

I very much prefer having a nice wood burning fireplace with a crackling fire. So much easier, and sounds nicer.

My middle DS has pretty bad asthma and we converted our wood-burning fireplace to a gas fireplace a few years ago and love it! Having grown up in a camping family, I miss the woodsy smell and sounds but I still love the gas fireplace.

The glass conducts the heat from the fireplace incredibly well. So well that you can't touch it without getting burned - seriously. You need to have a screen in front of it to protect little fingers and to keep toys from melting on it.

We have a 2 story colonial-style house and the fireplace is on the first floor in our den. It's perfect as the den is on slab (the basement is under the rest of the house) and that room used to get mighty chilly. With the fireplace, it's now toasty and if we turn on the fan that's built into the fireplace, it blows that heat to warm up the entire first floor. This works out perfectly for us as we have single zone heat and when the house furnace kicks in it tends to make the upstairs too hot while the first floor, where the thermostat is located, is at the right temperature.

When the fireplace is running the first floor is nice and comfy and the house furnace doesn't kick in as the thermostat is in the comfy area. Enough heat works it way upstairs as heat rises that the upstairs is now at a nice temperature for sleeping comfortably. So basically, our fireplace has "replaced" our house furnace. And it costs less to run... what's not to love?

And to the OP, yup, it has a pilot light but I never worry about it. It is what it is. The other good thing is that in the event of a power outage, the fireplace requires no electricity and even without the built-in fan blowing it still radiates enough heat to warm up the entire first floor. We lose power a few times every winter and it's nice to not have to worry about getting cold! We camp out in the den if the power goes out overnight.

 

[Colleen27]

So what exactly is the purpose of the glass on a gas fireplace?? It seems like it would be keeping all potential heat from reaching the room. And if it's for safety, then what's the point of the screen in front of the glass? The gas fireplace here has an electrical ignition, so the pilot light only comes on when the flip is switched.

I very much prefer having a nice wood burning fireplace with a crackling fire. So much easier, and sounds nicer.

I can only speak for ours because I've never had one before, but the glass keeps little fingers and stray combustibles out of the fire. It still gets quite warm, hence the screen, though I don't think it is really hot enough to be anything more than uncomfortable to touch (I haven't tested it!).

As far as the heating goes, a gas fireplace is a box within a box. The fire burns in the inner box, while the mechanical bits are between that box and the larger shell. The heat rise from the fire box and comes out into the room via a long, narrow vent that is at the top front between the two boxes, above the glass. On ours (which is rated to heat 2000 sq ft) there is a blower at the back bottom of the outer box that forces more of the heat up and out through that vent.

I'm sure that's clear as mud because I'm no good at explaining these things, but I was quite fascinated by the workings of our fireplace when DH was installing it. It never really crossed my mind that something so relatively small and pretty could heat a house through a Michigan winter.

 

[SandrA9810]

I can only speak for ours because I've never had one before, but the glass keeps little fingers and stray combustibles out of the fire. It still gets quite warm, hence the screen, though I don't think it is really hot enough to be anything more than uncomfortable to touch (I haven't tested it!).

As far as the heating goes, a gas fireplace is a box within a box. The fire burns in the inner box, while the mechanical bits are between that box and the larger shell. The heat rise from the fire box and comes out into the room via a long, narrow vent that is at the top front between the two boxes, above the glass. On ours (which is rated to heat 2000 sq ft) there is a blower at the back bottom of the outer box that forces more of the heat up and out through that vent.

I'm sure that's clear as mud because I'm no good at explaining these things, but I was quite fascinated by the workings of our fireplace when DH was installing it. It never really crossed my mind that something so relatively small and pretty could heat a house through a Michigan winter.

I took it apart, because the pilot wasn't turning on (after I saw that it had an electrical igniter, I flipped the fuse switch and it started working again). And there's no fan on the top to blow the hot air out. I've always noticed that gas has a glass plating, but never understood why. His aunt doesn't have a glass plate on theirs and it seems to keep the house a lot warmer.
The glass plate needs to be cleaned on this one, but I don't know how to properly do that, so I don't want to mess it up. But it's just four clips that hold it into place, so it's not hard to remove or put back.

My aunt's new house has a wood burning fireplace. I lighted the first fire the night before I left. Left her with a decent pile of wood (considering the thing is tiny and only needs like 2 or 3 logs), some starter logs. And of course a pile of ashes to clean up.

 

[golfgal]

Not true - it can be removed, but should only be done by a professional or by someone who knows how to handle both the glass and the cleaning.

You don't need a "professional" to do this. You unscrew a couple screws, take the glass outside, wipe with a paper towel (having just done this a month ago after thinking we had smoked glass in our fireplace ). It is super easy to do-just VERY messy.

Lisa-you are in more danger from your pilot light being OUT then you are with it on. If it is out and you have a supply line issue, your gas doesn't get burned off and can fill up your house with gas fumes. Also, if you improperly light the pilot light-sort of like flooding a car engine-you can blow up your house doing THAT too. Keep the pilot light lit, it is DESIGNED to remain on.