Fireplace Troubleshooting and Technical Guides

Step-by-step troubleshooting for gas fireplaces, organized two ways: by the problem you see and by the control system inside your fireplace. The control-system guides follow the makers' own manuals, with the test values, codes and part numbers they publish, and link the parts we carry.

Not sure what you have? Start with What type of gas fireplace do I have? It shows how to tell the vent type, the ignition and the label on your valve in about five minutes. If you smell gas, do not light anything or touch a switch; leave and call your gas supplier from a neighbor's phone.

Find Your Problem

Problem	Start here	Also see
Pilot light won't stay lit	Pilot light won't stay lit	How to test a thermocouple and thermopile · Mertik Maxitrol GV60 · ODS pilot (vent-free)
Clicks or sparks but won't light	Clicking but not lighting	SIT Proflame 2 · IntelliFire
Pilot is lit but the fireplace won't come on	Pilot on, burner off	SIT 820 Nova · Robertshaw and Dexen
Remote not working	Gas fireplace remote not working	Fireplace remote finder · How to sync a fireplace remote
Receiver or fireplace beeping	Mertik Maxitrol GV60 beep codes	Skytech and AF-4000 beep codes · SIT Proflame 1
Blinking light or error code	SIT Proflame 2 blink codes	IntelliFire blink codes · AF-4000 error codes
Fireplace turns itself off after hours or days	GV60 shut-off timers	IntelliFire Plus and Touch 9-hour shut-off · Proflame 2 7-day pilot shut-off
Thermocouple or thermopile test	How to test a thermocouple and thermopile	How to replace a thermocouple
Blower not working or noisy	Gas fireplace blower not working	How to install a blower kit
Converting to propane or natural gas, or sizing an orifice	Gas orifice size chart and calculator	Gas valves and conversion kits
Yellow or sooty flame	Heat N Glo troubleshooting	Why your flame looks different from the photos
Glass hazy or white film	How to clean gas fireplace glass	Replacement glass
Smoke or fumes pushed out at a B-vent fireplace's draft hood	It can mean a blocked vent or a down draft spilling gas into the home. Turn it off and do not use it until a qualified service person has inspected it.	Gas fireplace safety tips
Fireplace in a power outage	Will a gas fireplace work in a power failure?	Millivolt vs electronic ignition
New fireplace gives off an odor	Why a new fireplace smells	Gas fireplace safety tips
Electric fireplace error code or blinking	E1 code · E3 code	Why an electric fireplace blinks · How to reset an electric fireplace

Guides by Control System

Electronic Ignition and Remote Systems

SIT Proflame 2 troubleshooting: what the IFC board's red LED flashes and beeps mean, lockout reset, remote pairing and the checks for a fireplace that will not light.
SIT Proflame 1 troubleshooting: telling Proflame 1 from Proflame 2, receiver beeps, GT/GTM remote pairing and DFC board lockouts.
IntelliFire troubleshooting: original IntelliFire, IntelliFire Plus and IntelliFire Touch side by side, the Plus and Touch blink codes HHT publishes, and RC300, RC400 and RC450 pairing.
Mertik Maxitrol GV60 troubleshooting: every GV60 beep pattern Maxitrol documents, G6R handset and receiver pairing, batteries, 5-day and 7-day shut-off, and pilot checks.
Skytech and American Flame AF-4000 troubleshooting: Skytech remotes and receivers, AF-4000, AFVK-SP and AF-LMF systems, with every beep code from the makers' manuals.

Standing Pilot (Millivolt) Valves

SIT 820 Nova valve troubleshooting: identifying the 820 Nova and running the thermocouple, thermopile and switch tests in a technician's order.
Robertshaw and Dexen valve troubleshooting: Robertshaw, Dexen and HHT-numbered millivolt valves, tested with Robertshaw's published millivolt values.
Honeywell and SIT 630 EuroSIT troubleshooting: Honeywell millivolt valves, Honeywell SmartValve electronic controls and the SIT 630 EuroSIT thermostat valve.

Pilot, Thermocouple and Ignition Basics

Gas fireplace pilot light won't stay lit: gas supply, lighting routine, pilot flame, thermocouple and valve, checked in a technician's order.
Gas fireplace clicking but not lighting: spark, electrode gap, gas supply and flame sensing for standing pilot and electronic systems.
How to test a fireplace thermocouple and thermopile: multimeter steps and the makers' millivolt pass marks.
How to replace a gas fireplace thermocouple: matching the part, installing it hand tight plus a quarter turn as the makers specify, and checking it with a millivolt reading.

By Fireplace Type and Brand

What type of gas fireplace do I have: direct vent, B-vent, vent-free, insert or gas logs; standing pilot or electronic; and the label that names your control system.
Heat N Glo fireplace troubleshooting: common Heat N Glo problems with a problem-to-part table and model links.

Tools

Fireplace remote finder: pick your fireplace brand, then the code printed on your remote or receiver, and see the replacement the maker's documents match to it (or send us a photo when no match is proven).
Gas orifice size chart and calculator: BTU per hour for every number drill size (#1 to #80) and common metric sizes on natural gas and propane, with an orifice size calculator.

Find Parts by Fireplace Model

Each model page lists the parts we carry for that fireplace. Browse all of them in fireplace parts by model, or shop by brand: Heat N Glo · Heatilator · HHT · Quadra-Fire · Majestic · Empire · Superior · Enviro · Monessen · Regency · Valor.

Model not listed, or not sure what it is? Read it off the rating plate first: how to find your gas fireplace model number.