We recommend that you turn off your gas fireplace pilot light seasonally. Turning off your gas fireplace's pilot light can save a substantial amount of energy and money. It is important to remember that not all gas fireplaces have “standing” pilot light, or, a pilot light that is “always on”.
Reasons You Should Keep Your Gas Fireplace On
Keeping your gas fireplace on in summer can help you stay comfortable on chilly nights. Even if the pilot light is turned off, the pilot tubes may still have trace amounts of gas molecules. Gas companies add mercaptan in the gas to give it a pleasant odor.
Is it safe to leave the pilot light on all the time? Generally speaking, it is safe to leave your continuous pilot light on at all times, assuming it stays lit (more on this in a moment). While it does cost more to keep your pilot light on in between uses, it can actually have some benefits to your system.
A pilot light is a small gas flame that serves as an ignition source for your furnace. Pilot lights should be kept lit in the offseason, unless you know how to relight the pilot light on your own. Turning the pilot light off during the warm spring and summer months can save on gas and money.
The average fuel consumption of your standing Pilot light is: Natural gas is $0.60 a day = $219 a year. Liquid Propane is $1.80 a day = $657 a year. Sophisticated fireplace manufactures like Travis Industries have developed Intermittent pilot light systems.
A yellow or orange pilot light will produce carbon monoxide – an odourless, colourless gas that can fill your home and cause carbon monoxide poisoning. Symptoms of this condition include dizziness, headache, fatigue, nausea, unconsciousness, brain damage and death.
Although this is an area of concern for many people, the reality is that boilers are built so that the gas supply to the pilot light is shut off if the flame goes out. Whilst the cause of pilot light failure needs to be investigated, extinguished pilot lights aren't going to cause a gas leak.
A pilot light may need to be re-lit from time to time after being extinguished on purpose or by accident. If it is accidentally extinguished, there exists a danger that the gas used to keep the flame lit will continue to vent, possibly into the living space.
This will make relighting it much easier when the time comes. Turn off the light. Often, turning off the pilot light is as simple as turning a knob to “off.” For other systems, you may have to push a small lever out of the way in order to turn the knob. Whatever you do, don't force the knob.
When your pilot light remains on, a small amount of heat is generated. The glass doors on your gas fireplace remain warm to the touch. When the weather is hot outside, it makes sense to eliminate any additional heat sources inside the home, especially if you are running air conditioning inside the house.
A pilot light that is unlit for an extended amount of time can leak gas into your home, eventually causing a fire.
The flames from traditional pilot lights should burn a bright blue color. If your pilot light's flame is orange or yellow, it is burning inefficiently due to a lack of oxygen. The thermocouple should sense when this happens because the heat from the flame will not be as hot as it should be.
A proper pilot flame should be blue with a yellow tip and should be strong enough to cover about 1/2 inch at the end of the thermocouple tip. If the flame is too strong and improperly adjusted, it will be blue but may be noisy and lift off the thermocouple, causing improper furnace operation.
Inspecting a Gas Furnace Pilot Light Flame
A natural gas flame should be a bright blue color with a small amount of yellow at the very tip. A propane flame will have more of a bluish-green flame with a tinge of yellow at the tip. The flame should strong enough to cover about 1/2 inch at the end of the thermocouple tip.
Turning off your pilot light is a simple process that will save you both energy and money. All you have to do is open the front of your fireplace, turn the Pilot knob to “off,” and then turn your gas shutoff valve to the “off” position as well.
An overall rule for safe gas fireplace usage is to not let your fireplace—no matter which style—operate throughout the night. Unmonitored gas fireplaces can lead to dangerous, often fatal, outcomes.
It's a good idea to turn off your furnace during hot months. If left on, it will continue to consume energy. The furnace contains some electrical components like sensors that can needlessly draw power throughout the summer. If your furnace has a pilot light, it will use up unnecessary gas during summer when left on.
If it's a natural gas furnace that uses a standing pilot light to ignite the burners, then we recommend you shut it all the way off by turning off the gas to it. If you don't do this, the pilot light will continue to burn throughout the summer, which is a waste of gas.
The little flame you see in your gas fireplace after you have turned it off is called a pilot light. A Standing Pilot Light runs constantly, whether your fireplace is on or off.
Nearly every new gas fireplace comes equipped with safety features such as a 100% fail-safe shut-off valve. If the pilot flame goes out, the gas flow will automatically turn off. Another safety device is a safety pilot.
In general, you should not run an unvented fireplace for more than three hours at a time. If you are using natural gas, you can usually run your fireplace for up to four hours before needing to refuel. If you are using propane, the limit is typically two hours.
Turn the knob from the “Off” to the “Pilot” position. Push in the pilot knob, which manually sends gas into the system. Push the igniter button once every second until it lights. Depending on how long it's been since the gas fireplace was last used, ignition may take multiple attempts.