What should I check before lighting my gas fireplace for the first time each fall?
In Mills River, most homes out on these large rural lots run on propane, so your first move is checking the tank gauge and scheduling a top-off before the season — a low tank or a snow-covered regulator vent will stop the fireplace as surely as a fouled pilot. Then eyeball the glass seal, clear the outside vent cap, and light with a flashlight handy for cobwebs.
Propane first out in the valley
Mills River is farmland and forest with houses spread across big lots, and plenty of them are on propane rather than a gas main. That makes the tank the front of your checklist: gauge it, arrange a top-off with your supplier before the cold sets in, and keep the regulator vent clear so nothing chokes the fuel supply. Propane also burns hotter than natural gas and wants its own orifices, so if last year's flame ran sooty or lazy, that's a tuning job for us — never a dial you adjust yourself. Both fuels are compared in our [gas vs. propane](/guides/natural-gas-vs-propane-in-wnc) guide.
The eyeball checks that still apply
Fuel aside, the inside routine is the same one every gas fireplace deserves: confirm the glass front is clipped tight against an intact gasket, check that the logs sit exactly where the diagram shows, and put fresh batteries in the remote and receiver so a dead cell doesn't read as a dead appliance. Then light it and stay to watch the first burn. Over an idle Mills River summer, spiders and dust settle into the pilot and burner ports, so a flashlight look there is the single most useful thing you can do.
What crosses to us
Cleaning the pilot or burner, testing the valve, sorting a propane pressure issue — that's our work, and we cover Henderson County from 25 minutes south. A tune-up is from $189. The open valley is also prime for a gas fire pit; plan that in late spring. Call (828) 545-0525.
Fireplace help in Mills River
We install and service fireplaces throughout Mills River and the rest of Henderson County — just 25 minutes south from our Asheville-area showroom.
Related questions
- What should I do before the first fire of the season in my wood-burning fireplace or wood stove?
- Why does my fireplace smell like burning dust the first time I use it each year, and is that normal?
- What do I need to do to get my gas fire pit running again after it sat unused all winter?
- Should I leave my gas fireplace pilot light on all summer or turn it off?
- How do I light the pilot light on my gas fireplace?