Sooting can occur if the burner is dirty or dusy and, at best, it will blow soot into the house; at worst, it can cause carbon monoxide buildup in the home.
Things You Will Need
-
Turn off the gas and electric leading to the fireplace. Make sure the equipment is cool before attempting to remove anything from the fireplace.
-
Carefully remove the logs, stones and burner, and place them on a newspaper. Move all of this outside and, using the soft nylon bristle brush, clean everything off. Take extra care with the logs since they are very fragile. Inspect everything for damage or wear. Do not use any type of cleaning products; the cloth is all you will need to complete the job.
-
Attach a hose to the vaccum, and clean the inside of the firebox. Also vaccum around the outside, making sure to work around vents to get cobwebs and dust. Use the scrub brush if necessary to loosen dirt or dust from crevices. Clean the gas valve with the lint-free cloth. Give the whole box one last vaccum. Check the inside of the firebox for damage.
-
If doors are attached to your fireplace, clean them inside and out with a non-ammonia cleaner.
-
Place the burner, stones, and logs back into the fireplace. It is very important they are placed exactly as they were before to ensure the logs aren’t near the flames.
-
Turn the electric and gas back on, and relight the pilot light. Switch on the fireplace to make sure everything is working properly.
-
Even though these are ventless logs, crack one or two windows in your home to create a good airflow. This will help the logs to burn cleaner.
The Drip Cap
- A gas fireplace is a convenient way to lower heating bills without dealing with the mess of logs, but just as with any appliance, you must maintain gas logs.
- Use the scrub brush if necessary to loosen dirt or dust from crevices.
- Turn the electric and gas back on, and relight the pilot light.
- This will help the logs to burn cleaner.
Check out this related video from Homesteady on Youtube.