Gas Fireplaces: Usage And Safety Variables

Gas logs utilize piping and a series of holes to ignite flames within a gas fireplace. If you would like to purchase a gas fireplace, in lieu of investing in a wood-burning fireplace, learn about some usage and safety variables associated with a gas model.

Gas Logs

Gas logs are typically constructed of ceramic. Two or more logs are designed to resemble wooden logs. A gas log will contain piping that will attach to the ignition switch that comprises a gas fireplace. Once the switch is ignited, natural gas or propane will disperse through the piping and reach the logs.

The flames that are ignited will remain on the surface of a gas log set. While a fire is actively burning, the flames that are observed will resemble the same types of flames that are produced in a wood-burning fireplace. A gas fireplace burns more cleanly than a wood fireplace.

Operational Variables

When a technician installs your new gas fireplace, they may add a glass insert to the inside of the fireplace. Glass will prevent flames from spreading. A technician may also add lava rocks or sand to the bottom of the fireplace. Either of these materials will stop flames from spreading.

A gas fireplace is safe to use as long as the flame-retardant materials remain in the fireplace when the fireplace is actively being used. The technician who installs a gas fireplace will equip a unit with a dial or a button control pad. These ignition devices will turn on a fireplace and release gas to the log set that is within a fireplace.

Cleaning Steps

In spite of the cleaner operational value of a gas fireplace, all vented gas logs will produce soot. A minimal amount of soot may build up, necessitating that the inside of the fireplace is cleaned. Soot may form on the surface of the logs and along the interior side of the glass panel that comprises the front of a gas fireplace. Before a gas fireplace is cleaned, it needs to be turned off and will require time to cool down.

Upon removing the front glass panel, ammonia or a specially-formulated cleaner for gas fireplaces can be used to clean soot from the glass. The gas log set that is within a fireplace should also be cleaned in the same manner. A damp cloth can be used to wipe off the interior walls of a gas fireplace.

For more information about gas log sets, contact a local company.


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