Have you noticed soot in your gas fireplace? Maybe it’s sticking to the sides of the firebox, or perhaps it’s covering the glass screen or door. Soot deposits such as this aren’t limited to wood-burning fireplaces; they can occur with gas fireplaces as well. By understanding what causes soot, however, you can better protect your gas fireplace from this phenomenon.

What Is Soot?

Soot consists of the byproducts of incomplete combustion. Both wood-burning fireplaces and gas fireplaces rely on combustion. Wood-burning fireplaces create combustion by burning wood, whereas gas fireplaces create combustion by burning natural gas (or propane gas). When a fireplace fails to convert all of its respective fuel into heat via combustion, it will produce soot.

Common Causes of Soot in Gas Fireplaces

Soot can occur in gas fireplaces for different reasons. Neglecting to clean your gas fireplace’s burner assembly, for instance, may result in soot. Burner assemblies contain ports that release natural gas. Over time, some of these ports may get clogged with dust and debris. And the next time you turn on your gas fireplace, the dust and debris may burn while subsequently producing soot.

Failure to clean your gas logs can result in soot buildup as well. Most homeowners don’t use their gas fireplaces during the summer months. Rather, they wait until the cooler months of the year to use it. This means most gas fireplaces go for long periods – typically about six months – without being used.

If it’s been several months or longer since you last used your gas fireplace, you may want to clean your gas logs before starting it. The logs may look clean, but chances are they contain dust and debris. Dust and debris suffer from poor combustion. They don’t burn as completely as wood or natural gas.

Poorly positioned gas logs may result in soot. You can typically place wood logs just about anywhere in a wood-burning fireplace. Gas logs, though, require a proper placement so that the burner assembly’s flame will rise up and through them. If they obstruct the burner assembly, your gas fireplace may not work – or it may create a small flame and a lot of soot.

In Conclusion

If you’re tired of dealing with soot, you should get your gas fireplace professionally serviced. A complete service will cover many of the common causes of soot. The technician will check the burner assembly, clean the gas logs and position the gas logs for optimal combustion.