Can I light my gas fireplace manually if the ignition system fails?

Standing pilot: there's a printed procedure for exactly this

Manufacturers put a relight sequence on a label behind the lower louver — usually OFF, PILOT, ON positions and a piezo button — because lighting a standing pilot is a normal homeowner operation. If your igniter button quit, many units let you light that same pilot with a long fireplace match at the pilot hood while holding the knob in PILOT.

Follow the label on your specific unit, not general internet steps — the sequence and safety wait vary by brand. And never rush past the part where you wait and check for gas odor before introducing any flame.

Electronic ignition: usually no manual light

Intermittent-ignition units are built to light only on demand through the control module, and most have no manual-light path at all. If the module or its power has failed, there's no match-and-knob workaround — the fireplace needs the module or wiring repaired. Forcing it isn't an option, and it isn't safe to improvise around the gas valve. That's our work.

When it won't stay lit, it's a repair — not a workaround

Here's the honest line: manually lighting a pilot is fine as a temporary measure, but a pilot that won't hold on its own is failing — commonly a bad thermocouple — and relighting it over and over isn't a fix. Anything beyond following the printed relight steps, and all valve, gas-line, and module work, is licensed work in North Carolina and belongs to us. If you smell gas at any point, shut the gas valve, leave, and call. We fix most of these in a single visit. Call (828) 545-0525.