Gas Fireplace Safety & Maintenance

A gas fireplace is a beautiful addition to any home but without proper safety measures & maintenance, they can be a disaster waiting to happen. Now that the winter chill is officially with us, we thought you may benefit from some of these tips to keep your house warm and safe!

General Safety

Do not store combustible materials near your fireplace
Install your fireplace out of the way of foot traffic
Do not operate if glass doors are cracked
Installation and repairs should only be done by a registered gas contractor

Child Safety

Supervise children carefully. Glass inserts quickly heat up to more than 200°C and can take up to 45 minutes to cool
Make sure children know they should never touch a natural gas fireplace’s glass panels
Consider installing physical barriers or safety screens if you have toddlers
Adjustable safety gates can also be installed to restrict fireplace access to adults
Even when a fireplace is not in use, toddlers can hurt themselves on its surfaces & corners so consider installing a fire-resistant hearth guard (cushioned strip)

Keeping it clean

Turn your fireplace completely off, including the pilot light
Wait for the unit to cool completely before wiping with a damp cloth
Use a drop sheet to protect your floor while cleaning
Wear gloves & eye protection when handling the logs, which may cause skin/eyes irritation
Replace the logs exactly as shown in your owner’s manual after cleaning or moving them
Clean the glass periodically
Don’t use abrasive cleaners on the glass (check manual for recommended products)

Signs that may indicate your fireplace is not working properly

pilot light outages
“booming” noises on ignition
delayed ignition (slow to start up)
excessive soot or corrosion inside the fireplace or on the vent
a continuous or intermittent odour – either the “rotten egg” or sulphur smell of natural gas or a sharp odour that causes eyes to sting
symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning: nausea, headaches, lethargy or other flu-like symptoms

For additional information & tips, please visit the Terasen Gas website. We hope the above tips will help you keep your home safe while you enjoy the warmth of the fire. Seasons Greetings from all of us at Klondike Contracting!