Should I leave my gas fireplace's pilot light on over the summer or turn it off?
Either is fine — it's your preference. Leaving a standing pilot on all summer keeps the firebox warm and dry, which discourages rust and spider nests and keeps it ready to light, but it burns a little gas and adds heat you don't want in July. Turning it off saves fuel and keeps the room cooler, as long as you plan on a relight and a cleaning before heating season.
The case for leaving it on
A standing pilot is a small, steady flame, and that flame does quiet work over the off-season: it keeps the firebox warm and dry through our humid summers, which cuts down on internal rust, and it makes the burner a less inviting home for the spiders and insects that love to nest in a cold pilot assembly. It also means one less thing to relight in the fall. The cost is real but modest — a little gas and a little heat you probably don't want in the room mid-summer.
The case for turning it off
Shutting the pilot down saves that fuel and keeps the room cooler through summer, which is why plenty of folks do it. The tradeoff is a cold, damp firebox for months and a more welcoming spot for spider webs in the burner — so if you turn it off, plan on a relight and, ideally, a professional cleaning before you rely on it. And on a standing-pilot unit, remember the wall switch only controls the main burner — the pilot itself is shut off at the fireplace's own gas control, so use that if you want a true season off.
Electronic ignition changes the question
If your fireplace has electronic or IPI ignition — like the IntelliFire systems on many units we install — there's no standing pilot at all, so the question is moot: it only fires when you call for flame. Standing-pilot millivolt units are the ones where this is a genuine choice. Whichever you have, we still recommend a professional tune-up in late summer or early fall. Call (828) 545-0525 to get on the schedule before the rush.
Related questions
- Should I run my gas fireplace occasionally during the off-season to keep it healthy?
- Why won't my gas fireplace light in the fall — can spiders and insects clog the burner over summer?
- When should I schedule annual gas fireplace service in the Asheville area?
- Should I leave the pilot light on at a cabin that's empty for weeks at a time?
- Why does my fireplace smell musty in the summer?
- Do I need a permit to install a gas fireplace or gas insert in Western North Carolina?
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