Is it safe to relight the pilot myself, or should a professional do it?
In Weaverville the honest answer starts with your home's age. The fast-growing new builds around Reems Creek almost all use electronic ignition — there's no standing pilot to relight, and a no-heat call is usually a battery or module issue. The older downtown homes still have the classic knob-and-pilot you can relight yourself. Both are safe to run; only the newer one skips the relight entirely.
Two eras of Weaverville fireplace
We install across both sides of this town, so we see the split clearly. Newer Reems Creek and Ox Creek construction leans on sealed direct-vent gas with electronic ignition — often the IntelliFire-style system that sparks the pilot only when you call for heat. Nothing burns between fires, so there is nothing to relight; if it won't start, you check the backup batteries and the switch, then call us. The older masonry fireboxes downtown are where you'll find a true standing pilot with a printed lighting sequence you can safely follow. Knowing which you own saves a needless service call — and tells you whether relight even applies.
The part that's ours
On either system, once you're past a clean relight or a battery swap, it's licensed gas work — thermocouples, valves, ignition modules, fouled orifices. North Carolina reserves that for a licensed contractor, and that's us. Stop and call rather than fiddle if you smell gas (leave, then call) or if a standing pilot won't hold after a try or two, which usually means a dirty sensor rather than anything you did wrong.
Catch it in the off-season
Weaverville's north-facing valley is slow to warm in spring, so you'll want a dependable flame later than most. Whether you own the new electronic unit or the downtown standing pilot, a late-summer service is cheap insurance — we clean and test everything before the cold sets in, and on the newer builds we confirm the ignition module and backup batteries so an outage doesn't leave you cold. We're 15 minutes north; request a free assessment or call (828) 545-0525.
Fireplace help in Weaverville
We install and service fireplaces throughout Weaverville and the rest of Buncombe County — just 15 minutes north 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?