How do I shut down my gas fireplace for the summer?
Turn the control knob from 'on' to 'pilot' or all the way to 'off,' switch off the wall switch or remote, and kill power to the blower if you want — that's the whole job on a modern unit. Then wipe the glass and logs, close the doors or the damper appropriately, and book the tune-up for late summer so it's ready before fall.
The actual shutdown
The off/pilot/on control dial is homeowner-operable, so this is one of the few gas-appliance tasks you can do yourself. Set the knob to off — or leave it on pilot if you'd rather keep the firebox dry — turn off the wall switch, remote, or app so the burner can't fire, and if there's a blower on its own switch or plug, you can shut that down too.
What you should never do is open the valve, disconnect gas fittings, or take the burner apart. That's licensed work, and it's ours.
Clean it before it sits
A firebox is easier to close up clean than to resurrect dusty in October. Wipe the glass with a fireplace-glass cleaner or plain water and newspaper — not an abrasive that scratches the ceramic. Dust the logs gently and vacuum lint and pet hair off the burner and floor, because that debris is exactly what smells like burning dust the first time you relight in the fall.
If your logs are a vented set, note their layout before you touch them — wrong-placed logs on a vented burner cause soot.
Keep it protected until fall
Close the glass doors or fit a screen to keep dust and spiders out, and on a wood or vented-log setup close the damper once the unit is fully shut down (never over a lit pilot). Then get on the late-summer service calendar.
We'd rather clean and check your fireplace in August than get a no-heat call the first cold night — and late summer is exactly when we clear the off-season spiders and dust out of the pilot and burner. Call (828) 545-0525 to schedule.
How we can help
Related questions
- Should I turn off the pilot light on my gas fireplace in the summer?
- How do I get my fireplace ready for fall and winter?
- How do I keep dust and debris out of my fireplace during the months it is not used?
- Should the damper be kept closed during the off-season?
- Is it good to run my gas fireplace occasionally during the off-season?
- How often should a gas fireplace be serviced?
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