Gas Fireplace
Inside a gas fireplace installation in Markham
Mantel height and depth above a gas fireplace
A wood mantel over a gas fireplace has to respect heat rising from the unit. One maker's manual includes a mantel chart: the higher the mantel sits above the top of the fireplace, the deeper it may project. Side walls and mantel legs have their own minimum distances from the opening.
Our installers take the chart from the manual for your chosen model and mark the lowest safe mantel height on the wall before it is finished. If you already own a mantel you want to use in your Markham home, bring its depth to the free inspection.
Why a new gas fireplace needs more than your nose
Natural gas and propane are both odorless, and the smell you know is an agent added to them. One maker's manual warns that this added odor can fade, so gas may be present even when you cannot smell it.
That is one reason we leak test every connection with solution instead of trusting smell, and one reason a working carbon monoxide alarm belongs in any home with a gas fireplace. We point out the nearest alarm locations during the walkthrough in your Markham home. If you do not have one near the fireplace yet, adding one before the first burn is a simple step.
If you smell gas near a new gas fireplace
Leave the house first. Gas fireplace manuals say not to try to light any appliance, not to touch any electrical switch and not to use a phone in the building, then to call the gas supplier from a neighbor's phone, or the fire department if you cannot reach them. NFPA safety guidance also says to leave the home immediately and call the gas company or fire department from outside.
Once the gas utility or fire department has made the home safe, call us. Our team looks at the fireplace connections and the appliance in your Markham home, and the unit stays off until the source has been found.
The first burn of a new gas fireplace
For its first few hours, a new unit gives off a smell as the paint cures and manufacturing oils burn off. One maker's manual describes a break-in of three to four hours on high, then a full cool-down and glass cleaning, then up to 12 more hours of burning, with windows open because the smoke can set off smoke alarms.
Our crew starts that first burn with you and leaves written break-in steps for your Markham fireplace, so the rest of it is easy to finish. Plan it for a day when the room can be aired out.
