Gas Fireplace Safety Tips

Written on: February 26, 2024

How to Enjoy Your Propane Hearth

One of the main features of a propane gas fireplace that people love the most is how safe they are—no playing with matches and waiting for kindling to catch, and no waiting for embers to burn out or worrying if they will flare up again. A propane fireplace lets you turn on and adjust the flame with a wall switch, or even a remote control, and turn it off when you are done.

Smart Gas Fireplace Use

Still, there are some simple but important safety tips to follow when dealing with fire—or gas—in your home. Here’s what you need to know:

1. Always use safety screens. Even though there’s glass between you and the flame, that glass can get hot—up to 500°F! Wait at least a half hour after turning off the flame before touching the fireplace.
2. Use the 3-feet rule. Keep newspapers, books, blankets, draperies, and anything flammable or combustible at least 3 feet from the hearth.
3. Don’t leave a fire unsupervised, and don’t leave children or pets alone in a room with a fire. Consider keeping the remote out of reach when you aren’t using it.
4. Pay attention. If the flames don’t look normal, or your hearth doesn’t light, turn it off and call for service right away. If you smell rotten eggs, or suspect a leak , leave the house immediately.
5. Have an annual inspection. Schedule yearly maintenance for late summer or early fall to ensure your gas fireplace is working properly and ready to go on that first crisp night. Don’t forget to have the chimney and venting system cleaned if you have a vented fireplace.
6. Install carbon monoxide detectors. Carbon monoxide, or CO, is an odorless gas that can be deadly. While vent-free fireplaces come with oxygen depletion sensors, and vented fireplaces remove co via the chimney, a detector will alert you in the case of a malfunction. You should have at least one co detector in your home even if you don’t have a fireplace.

Don’t Believe the Buzz

There’s been some buzz in the media about banning gas, whether for cooking or fireplaces. The concern is that they emit harmful pollutants such as carbon monoxide. But the fact is that burning anything—even a candle—will produce carbon monoxide and particulate matter. Another concern is about the amount of methane being released from natural gas sources indoors, in cooking stoves as well as gas fireplaces. This is particularly concerning because methane is an extremely potent greenhouse gas and makes up a vast majority of natural gas content. However, what the studies don’t mention when they discuss banning gas is that propane does not contain methane and is not a greenhouse gas!

Not only do propane fireplaces not produce methane, but depending on the type of propane fireplace you install, any particulate matter or other pollutants are minimal to virtually absent.

Curl Up by the Fire

Who doesn’t enjoy the charming warmth of a fireplace? Propane-fueled fireplaces add ambiance without the mess, smoke and ash of a wood-burning fireplace. Installation (or conversion of your wood hearth) is easy! Pico can answer all your questions, and we offer a great selection of gas fireplaces and log sets. Contact the team at Pico today.