Gas fireplace and gas log service in San Antonio

Common gas fireplace problems

• Pilot won't light or won't stay lit. Often a dirty pilot assembly or a worn thermocouple or thermopile.
• Logs soot up or flames burn orange and tall. Logs out of position, a clogged burner or a venting problem.
• Remote or switch does nothing. Check the batteries first, then the receiver and the valve.
• Gas smell. Leave the house and call your gas utility or 911 from outside. Do not try to light it.
• Glass front fogging or cracked. On a sealed direct-vent unit, a cracked glass front means stop using it until it is replaced with the maker's part.

Who may work on it in Texas

Gas lines are different. Texas law defines plumbing to include piping that supplies gas. Running or changing a gas line to a fireplace is work for a plumber licensed by the Texas State Board of Plumbing Examiners. A chimney company can clean and set gas logs, service the burner and check the venting. If the line itself needs to be run or moved, or leak tested, ask whether the person doing it holds a Texas plumbing license, and look the license up on the Texas State Board of Plumbing Examiners site.

Inside San Antonio city limits, the Development Services Department handles building permits and inspections through its BuildSA portal (210-207-1111). Ask the pro whether your job needs one. New fireplaces and rebuilt chimneys usually do, and so do new gas lines.

Why gas still needs the flue checked

Vented gas logs in a masonry fireplace use the chimney the same way a wood fire does; a nest or debris in the flue can send combustion gases into the room. The CDC advises a battery or battery-backup CO detector near every sleeping area, checking its batteries when the clocks change, replacing detectors about every five years, and having the chimney checked or cleaned every year because debris can let CO build up inside.

28% of households in the ZIP codes we cover heat mainly with gas (Census ACS 2020-2024), so a lot of San Antonio houses have a gas line somewhere. A gas fireplace adds one more appliance on it.