Safety Tips for Your Gas Fireplace in Wausau, WI

Want to keep your gas logs in good shape for many years to come? Then it’s important to operate your gas fireplace in Wausau, WI safely.

Here are a few safety tips that will help you get the most out of your gas logs:

• Always have them professionally installed: Installing gas logs is not a task we would recommend for an average do-it-yourselfer. A single mistake with the installation process could cause a gas leak, or issues with carbon monoxide forming in your home. You might even end up with a room full of soot. Experts understand how to avoid all of these potential problems, so having a trained professional on hand during the installation process ensures you won’t have to worry about these sorts of safety hazards in the future.
• Make sure you’re familiar with local building codes: Most places throughout the country have the same standards for installation of gas logs and fireplaces, but there are circumstances in which there can be some significant differences. For example, in the state of California you are not allowed to install vent-free gas logs, but this is legal in most other places. There’s not a single source of information you can use to find all gas log regulations, which means you’re going to need to talk to a building code professional here in the Wausau area to make sure your plans for your gas fireplace and gas logs are up to code.
• Always get a safety pilot: There are some gas log retailers who will try to sell you your gas log set without a safety pilot. In this type of set, the lighting system is called a “match light” system, which is less expensive than a system that has a safety pilot. But keep in mind that without a safety pilot assembly, it will be easy for you to turn off the flame to the setup but still have gas seeping into your home. This is, of course, a massive fire and explosion hazard, especially if that gas leak goes for hours or days without being noticed. A safety pilot will completely eliminate this hazard, as it shuts down the gas valve whenever there isn’t a flame in the fireplace. Plus, if you keep the safety pilot lit while the gas logs aren’t being used, you’ll be able to fire up those logs again just by turning a knob.
• Make sure you have a carbon monoxide detector: A CO detector is crucial to have in your home even if you don’t have gas logs, but it becomes even more necessary when you introduce a gas log to your home.
• Do not burn anything in a gas fireplace: People who have wood fireplaces commonly throw other things than wood into the fire, because it will all turn to ash. However, this is a big safety hazard with gas logs. These logs must burn cleanly, which means you should never put any foreign objects into the fire, or it could clog the burners, create more soot and ultimately create a fire hazard.

For more information about how to stay safe with your gas fireplace in Wausau, WI, contact Marcell’s Specialties Inc.

Categorised in: Gas Fireplace

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