Is it safe to relight the pilot myself, or should a professional do it?
In Flat Rock, many fireplaces are gas log sets dropped into original 1800s masonry — grand, oversized fireboxes with tall old flues. Those typically run a standing pilot you can relight yourself, but that huge cold chimney is exactly what makes the pilot vulnerable to a downdraft that blows it out. Relighting is safe homeowner work; a pilot that keeps failing is ours to service.
Grand old flues, finicky pilots
Flat Rock's historic homes were built around big open masonry fireplaces with aging clay flue liners, and when a gas log set with a standing pilot goes into one of those, the sheer size of the flue works against you. Cold air sits in a tall chimney like a plug, and a downdraft rolling down it can snuff a pilot that lit fine. On a cold day, a relight that needs a second try is ordinary. A pilot that won't hold at all, though, is usually the thermocouple or a dust-and-cobweb-clogged orifice — the classic first-cold-week failure — and that crosses into repair.
Preserve the character, respect the law
Homeowners in these historic Henderson County houses often want to keep the original mantel and firebox while gaining a reliable, sealed flame — and a direct-vent insert does exactly that, ending the downdraft problem for good. Whatever you have, the boundary holds: you may relight a standing pilot; you may not open the gas valve, and in North Carolina you legally can't — that's our licensed work. Smell gas, leave and call from outside.
The permanent fix for a drafty flue
If you're tired of relighting after every windy night, a sealed direct-vent insert set into the original firebox ends it — it draws combustion air through its own coaxial pipe and ignores the big old chimney's downdrafts entirely, while preserving the historic look you bought the house for. It also turns a decorative hearth into a genuine heater. Come see the options at our Asheville showroom, 30 minutes north, or call (828) 545-0525.
Fireplace help in Flat Rock
We install and service fireplaces throughout Flat Rock and the rest of Henderson County — just 30 minutes south from our Asheville-area showroom.
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?