A modern gas fireplace looks fantastic and adds a touch of sophistication to the place. Also, it offers protection from cold during the winter season. The flames in the fireplace look very realistic and is an awesome source of warmth that also add a flare of beauty to the room. Even with these beautifying factors, it is important for the user to maintain the fireplace properly. Without maintenance, a modern gas fireplace has the potential to cause more harm to the environment and the residents of the house. Some of the important tips for maintaining these fireplaces are-

Maintaining the Chimney

A vital and crucial piece of inspecting a chimney is to ensure that the path of the firebox is clear. Over the course of time, the chances for the vent to get blocked with material like leaves, twigs, bird nests are high. These items usually obstruct the airflow and cause gasses like carbon monoxide to flow back into the house. This is very dangerous for people living in the house. 

Care should be taken to ensure that the chimney should be lined for proper venting. Inspecting a chimney helps in identifying a wide variety of problems in the chimney system. 

The outer portion of the chimney should also be regularly checked. If there are cracks in the crown, moisture can seep in and cause a lot of damage to the chimney in the long run. The overall inspection should be carried out to ensure that the damper is open to make sure that the by-product impurities can move out of the premises as quickly as possible.

A qualified professional should be hired to clean the firebox. These professionals know what need to be done in order to ensure that the place is warm during the winters. Some of the steps followed by the professional to clean the firebox are:

• Turning off the gas supply
• Removing the burners from the firebox
• Vacuuming the firebox and washing it with mild detergent and water
• Checking the vents for blockage
• Putting the burner back in its original place
• Ensuring the flame is burning with the same kind of brightness and provides the same level of warmth to the people inside the house


In addition to these two primary points, the other factors that need to be kept in mind while cleaning a modern gas fireplace are:

• When propane or a natural gas apparatus is handled, the gas valve should be turned off to cater to the safety standards.
• Fans and blowers should be used to evenly spread the heat that is created by the heating sources.
• The fireplace should be cleaned once a month. This should be strictly followed to ensure that there is no buildup of unwanted impurities.
• The cost of cleaning a fireplace should not be used as an excuse in order to avoid maintenance of a fireplace. This is a safety precaution and is very important and necessary to guard against fire breakouts.
• If the gas fireplace contains a blower, it is recommended that it should be manually cleaned. Usually, the fireplaces do not contain a filtering system even though they are placed on furnaces. Dust on the blower blades can result in wear and tear. Also, the dust prevents efficient cooling and can cause it to completely breakdown.

Even though the gas does not create a huge number of dangerous impurities in the chimney, they can create a lot of other potential problems as discussed above. So, this makes it even more important to hire a professional fire place technician for maintaining modern gas fireplaces.