7 Reasons Your Gas Fireplace Smells Like Gas
Just because it runs on gas doesn’t mean it should smell like it
Highlights
New logs can take a few hours to stop emitting a gas or burning plastic odor.
A newly installed gas fireplace may offgas for the first 8 hours of use.
A gas smell may last for around 45 seconds after lighting the fireplace.
Have a pro inspect your chimney flue once per year.
Clean the fireplace about once per month to avoid gas or burnt plastic smells.
You turn on the gas fireplace to help heat up your living room, but rather than just enjoying the flickering flame, you start to notice an unpleasant smell. No, there aren’t rotten eggs in the room—that’s distinctly a gas smell coming from the fireplace. If your gas fireplace smells like gas, there can be a number of different problems. Shut off the fireplace and read on to learn about seven common reasons why your gas fireplace is smelly and what steps to take next.
Note: Gas is normally odorless, but it has additives that make it smell like rotten eggs to alert people when there’s a leak or other issue. If your gas fireplace smells like gas and it doesn’t dissipate, it could mean harmful gasses like carbon monoxide and nitrogen dioxide are leaking or backing up into your home. According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, these gasses can lead to headaches, dizziness, confusion, lung disease, respiratory conditions, and some types of cancer. Gas leaks can also increase the risk of a fire or explosion, so if you smell gas, always have a pro inspect the fireplace immediately.
1. Your Fireplace Logs Are New
Although gas fireplaces use a pilot light or ignitor and fuel from the gas line to create a flame, you can add logs to give it the classic, cozy wood-burning look. But if you’ve just added new fireplace logs to your gas fireplace, they can let off a gassy or even plastic smell when heated by the flame.
If you’ve placed new fireplace logs in the gas fireplace and turned on the fireplace, give the new logs a few hours to warm up to their new home. If the gas smell is still present after four hours, it’s time to bring in a pro for an inspection.
2. Your Gas Fireplace Is New
You’ve shelled out the cost to remove an old fireplace and installed a new gas fireplace and flue, but now you’re smelling gas. Like with new logs, a new fireplace needs time to acclimate, as some of the chemicals and materials in the fireplace may smell like gas or even burning plastic when they first heat up.
Run your new gas fireplace for about a day, with supervision, and consider opening some windows for ventilation. If the fireplace continues to smell like gas, it’s time to call in a pro to check for proper ventilation and potential leaks.
3. You’ve Just Fired Up the Fireplace
Whether you have a new gas fireplace or use yours winter after winter, it’s always good to brush up on how to light a gas fireplace safely. You may be able to light the gas fireplace with the flip of a switch, or you may need to use a longer lighter to ignite a flame. When you light a fireplace, the gas line will emit a small amount of gas before it ignites, and this can cause the gas fireplace to smell like gas for a short time.
The smell should dissipate within about a minute, but if it doesn’t go away, shut off the fireplace and call in a pro as soon as possible.
4. The Flue Is Closed
At the end of winter, you may close your chimney flue and clean up your gas fireplace with the expectation that you won’t need it again until late fall. So when the chilly season arrives again and you’re prepping to start up the gas fireplace, you may forget to re-open the flue. This step is critical—the flue needs to be open to allow combustion gasses to vent out of the home.
Always make sure your flue is open before lighting a fireplace, and have a pro perform a chimney flue inspection at least once per year. This will help ensure your flue is clean and properly venting those harmful combustion gasses.
5. There Is Dust and Debris Burning
If your gas fireplace smells like burning plastic or gas, it may just be dust, pet dander, and other debris from the air being burned up by the fire. These tiny particles in the air can let off a burning plastic or other strange smell when the fire is burning. Of course, it can be hard to tell if this is really the issue, so always have a pro come by to inspect the fireplace if it starts to smell like gas or burnt plastic.
Consider keeping an air purifier in the room of your gas fireplace to help mitigate air pollutants from burning in the fireplace.
6. Your Fireplace Needs a Cleaning
A clean fireplace will burn more efficiently and will be less likely to emit strange odors. Be sure to learn how to clean a gas fireplace, including any logs or rocks, to remove debris and other buildup. Plan to clean your fireplace about once a month, especially in winter when it gets the most use.
7. There’s a Gas Leak
Although a gas smell from your fireplace may be caused by something minor such as new logs, it can also be a sign of a major problem. The fireplace could have a gas leak, which can increase your risk of a fire, an explosion, or carbon monoxide poisoning. If there’s a gas leak, the fireplace may smell like gas even if it’s not turned on.
Because of these serious risks of gas leaks, if your gas fireplace smells like gas, it’s always safest to hire a pro for an emergency inspection.
What to Do If Your Gas Fireplace Smells Like Gas
Even if you think the gas smell could be from burning dust, don’t hesitate to call a pro to check the fireplace for any leaks, blocked vents, or other problems to keep your family safe.
You can expect to spend around $180 to $1,010 for the cost of fireplace repairs. If you need to revamp your fireplace for better ventilation and safer burning, leave the upgrades to a local fireplace remodeler, who can have you cozied up by the fire safely and quickly.