Like a car, it is recommended your gas fire is serviced even when there is nothing wrong every 12 months. However should you experience any problems please read on to help trouble shoot the problem. Some of the common symptoms of gas fires not working properly is its inability to ignite the pilot light. This would be the small flame that ignites first to ignite the main gas flow usually located toward the front of the fire. If there’s a problem with the pilot light your fire will not light. This could be because of three main issues;

  1. The presence of debris inside the pilot light preventing the spark from completing the circuit and thus not lighting the gas.
  2. The presence of fine debris or dust caught inside the air filter of the pilot assembly.
  3. A disruption with the gas pressure, this could be the result of other gas works throughout the house. Potentially caused by gas engineers performing their regular checks or servicing of the rest of the house.

The first point can be rectified with a simple vacuum. Remove the coals/pebbles of your gas fire carefully as some could have a particular order and placement. Hoover the pilot light of debris and soot. Return the coals/pebbles to their original position – it is very important that you use your fire instruction manual to ensure you relay the coals/pebbles in the correct position –   and reattempt ignition. If this fails and it’s the cause falls under the last two points it’s essential to have your fire serviced. Provided your fire was bought from ‘Esher Fireplaces’ we can indeed be used to perform a service on your gas fire.

Inset Gas Fire

Hole in the Wall Gas Fire

 

Remote control fires are incredibly sophisticated. if the computer senses an issue with anything it’s programmed to constantly monitor, the whole thing will shut down for safety purposes. The main issues are listed below;

  1. The most common reason for a complete shut down is the low voltage of the battery inside the fire itself.
  2. If your RC Fire is using a power flue system or balanced flue system and there is a blockage in the airflow or filtration or there is a problem with the power supply to the power flue system the computer will perform a shut down.
  3. Please refer to the symptoms of “Manual Gas Fires” with reference to the pilot light.

The first point can be rectified fairly easily. The remote control commonly uses standard AA or 9V batteries however there is a bigger battery/battery pack inside the fire that is used for the spark for the pilot as well as the power source to monitor the fire. These batteries are easily accessible, please refer to your instruction manual. Commonly you will find a black box with a removable lid with 6-8 AA Batteries however some models will require a specific battery that is not common but can be purchased from ‘Esher Fireplaces’. For the second point this type of maintenance can only be rectified by a qualified gas engineer.

Limestone is as fascinating as it is beautiful. As a natural stone it does require the right know-how to look after. By its nature it is a composite material made up of different soil types, minerals and even fossils of prehistoric lifeforms. The material is a substance that has formed over 65 million years under the pressure of the sea and land pressure. If a mark or blemish is found this should be considered as normal and not an imperfection as this is commonly the presence of a fossil or the formation of prehistoric soil known as silt. This natural phenomenon is what gives Limestone its desirability and beauty.

Though Limestone is dense it is also brittle. This should be taken into consideration when moving furniture and leaning heavy object against the material. To a lesser extent this should also be considered when decorations are being placed onto a limestone mantle for example or fireplace tools such as companion kits onto a limestone Hearth. Limestone is nearly impossible to repair however there are rare occasions where a crack or a complete breakage can be remedied. This involves using a filler of limestone itself, however this is only under rare circumstances. All that is necessary is to send us images of the damage to which our Stonemason will determine the possibility of repair and administer the next step.

Another trait to be aware of is how porous Limestone is, it’s incredibly porous therefore contact with all liquids should be kept to an absolute minimum. A classic example is leaving a wine glass on a Limestone mantel and leaving a ring on the mantel which in most cases is impossible to remove and rectify. The same issue is with most household cleaners, due to the acidity level you would do more harm than good. However, dust thoroughly beforehand and by using a mild amount of a pH neutral washing up liquid in warm water and cleaning with a soft cloth or soft nylon brush it will give you the results you’re after. You will notice once it is wet it will take on a darker colour, this will dry out and return to its original shade.

All of the cosmetic metal we use for the components in the fireplace are mainly cast iron therefore this mainly applies to ‘Fire Baskets’ and ‘Metal Back Panels’ as all other metal components such as ‘Gas Burners’ should not come into contact with any external liquids such as water.

Should the metal of your fireplace come into contact with water and it is present during the use of the fire burning it will oxidise and cause rust. Causes of this include mopping your hearth and making contact with the metal of the fireplace or improper cleaning of the metal, as well as water vapour present in the flue itself. The latter of the causes is an impossible factor to remove as water vapour is a by-product of combustion. However this can be counteracted with the appropriate cowl, for more information please contact your local chimney sweep for advice on cowls. The best remedy for rust depending on how long the rust has been present is using WD40 and Iron Wool;

  1. Rub the surface of the metal with WD40 let it really soak in for 5 minutes.
  2. Scrub the Iron Wool all over the surface, apply extra work to any area affected by rust.
  3. Clean off the rust with a rag or cloth.
  4. Reapply WD40 to the area to coat and protect.

WD40 should be applied once every so often to the metal even when it is not being used. Do not use a water based cleaner as this will create adverse results due to its nature. Another tarnish to be wary of is Heat marks. It is to be expected that minor heat marks will be present after use of a fire whether it’s ‘Solid Fuel’ or ‘Natural Gas’. These heat mark will come in the form of black soot or carbon deposits another by-product of combustion. The same method listed above can still be applied however by ensuring the metal is not in direct contact to the fire or ceramic coals/pebbles will reduce the areas of heat marks. For ‘Solid Fuel’ fires this is caused mainly by over loading the burning area with logs or coals and have the fuel physically touching the metal itself. For Gas Fires this is mainly caused by the same means only with artificial logs and coals touching the metal, over loading the pile will also cause heat marks.

Before the installation of your stove/fire burner with us you would have had a mandatory chimney sweep under ‘Gas Safe Regulation’. This is also a key factor to maintaining a healthy flue.

It is recommended to have your chimney swept once every 12 months to ensure clearance and removal of any carbon deposits up the chimney.

Once every 6 months it is also recommended to check the batteries in your Carbon Monoxide Detectors.