With winter season just around the corner, Windsor Garden owners are likely to start running their gas fireplaces again.
Like any gas appliance, fireplaces need regular servicing. But it wasn’t until we had ours serviced by a top notch firm that we discovered just how valuable servicing really is.
You see, since we moved into the complex some 20 years ago, we’ve had our fireplace serviced every few years, but we never gave it much thought. Until a couple of years ago, when it stopped working. We hired the same vendor that had done the servicing, a nearby company that I won’t name, to come by and inspect it. They said they replaced the thermocouple and it started working again. For one week. Then it stopped once again.
That technician had told us that because of the age of the fireplace, the whole thing would need to be replaced because it couldn’t be fixed. They wanted about $5,000 to replace it, so we just went without using it.
This year, we hired another firm, Fairy Stone Heating & AC, to come and do an inspection, because we had gotten to know the owners and their passion for excellence in gas appliances. The result of their visit surprised me in several ways.
Three Major Insights
Essentially, everything the previous technician had done and told us was false.
First, the age of the appliance isn’t an issue. Fairy Stone said that the fireplaces in this complex are of exceptional quality and should last for many more years.
Secondly, rather than a thermocouple, as is used in low-quality fireplaces, our has a thermopile, which is far more complex. A thermopile is equivalent to many thermocouples joined together, providing a sophisticated temperature sensor. And it had not been replaced. So the previous vendor had charged us for something that wasn’t even done.
Thirdly, there was nothing wrong with the thermopile, it was just covered with dust buildup from years of neglect. Which is interesting for two reasons. It hadn’t been neglected but had been serviced, though not every year as recommended. Secondly, because it was evidence that the previous service visits obviously didn’t do anything. They hadn’t even cleaned it.
Fairy Stone pointed out all the areas where dust and grime had accumulated. Their technician took everything apart, cleaned all the parts thoroughly, vacuumed it all with a professional machine and put it back together, even painting some of the surfaces that had grown light from years of heat. All done in a one-hour service visit costing just a couple hundred dollars.
The fireplace now burns with a beautiful red and yellow flame, looking more natural than ever.
To avoid issues, get your fireplace serviced annually. Dust buildup is flammable, so this is actually a safety issue.
