Is it safe to relight the pilot myself, or should a professional do it?
Yes — here in Asheville, relighting a standing pilot yourself is normal homeowner operation, whatever your neighborhood. The catch is knowing which system you own: a Montford or North Asheville home with an older millivolt unit has a knob you relight, while newer South Asheville clean-face gas often runs electronic ignition with no standing pilot at all. Call (828) 545-0525 if you're unsure.
Two kinds of Asheville fireplace
Because we've worked this city since 2005 from our shop at 629 Emma Rd, we see both worlds daily. The original masonry hearths in Montford and older North Asheville homes usually carry a standing pilot — a small flame you can relight by following the lighting label inside the door. Much of the newer construction toward South Asheville uses sealed direct-vent units with electronic ignition, where nothing burns between fires. On those, relighting isn't something you do with a knob; the module sparks on its own each time you call for heat, and if it won't fire, that points to a battery or control issue rather than anything you light by hand.
When to hand it to us
Relighting is yours. The mechanical parts behind the flame are ours — under North Carolina law, opening a gas valve, swapping a thermocouple, or clearing a fouled pilot orifice is licensed gas work, and we're the licensed contractor who does it. Two signals mean don't keep trying: any smell of gas, which means step outside and call from there, and a pilot that lights but won't stay lit after a try or two. Our winters help nobody here — Asheville nights sit in the 20s well into spring, so you'll lean on that fireplace for months. And because we're right here at 629 Emma Rd, a late-summer tune-up before those spring-cold nights is easy to schedule: we clean the pilot, test the thermocouple, and send you into winter without the guesswork. If a relight keeps failing, we're minutes away at (828) 545-0525, or stop by the showroom.
Fireplace help in Asheville
We install and service fireplaces throughout Asheville and the rest of Buncombe County — we're headquartered right here.
Related questions
- How do I light the pilot light on my gas fireplace?
- How long should I wait before trying again if the pilot doesn't catch on the first try?
- How do I completely shut off the gas to my fireplace, and where is the shutoff valve?
- I rent my home — is it OK for me to light the pilot and use the gas fireplace myself, or should I go through my landlord?
- Do I need to relight the pilot after my propane tank runs empty or the gas is shut off for service, and is there air in the line to work through?