Is your gas fireplace ready for the cold weather? With winter right around the corner, you should use this opportunity to prepare it for the cold weather. Most homeowners neglect their gas fireplace during the warmer months of the year. When they try to light it for the first time during winter, they may encounter problems. Here are several ways to prepare your gas fireplace for winter.

Inspect the Insert

If your gas fireplace has an insert, you should inspect it for damage. Inserts are fireboxes that serve as an enclosure. While they are typically made of metal – stainless steel is the most common material in which inserts are made – they often feature a glass screen.

The glass screen on the front of an insert can crack. To prepare your gas fireplace for winter, check it for signs of damage such as this. If you notice any cracks, chips or other forms of damage in the glass screen, you should replace it.

Test the Flue Damper

You should test the flue damper as well. Flue dampers are valves that control airflow into and out of the chimney. Closing the flue damper will seal your chimney so that air won’t be able to leak into and out of your home. Opening the flue damper will remove this seal, thus allowing smoke and combustion gases from your gas fireplace to escape.

Rather than waiting until winter, you should go ahead and test the flue damper. Make sure that you can open and close the flue damper. If the flue damper is stuck in the closed position, you won’t be able to safely use your gas fireplace.

Clean Your Gas Logs

To prepare your gas fireplace for winter, you should get your gas logs professionally cleaned. Dust and debris will collect on the surface of your gas logs. Rather than allowing this dust and debris to go unchecked, you should get your gas logs professionally cleaned.

Attempting to clean your gas logs yourself may lead to problems. Since they will be exposed to a flame, gas logs require special cleaning products. Furthermore, they must be properly positioned over the flame. Using the wrong cleaning product may lead to air pollution, and arranging gas logs incorrectly may lead to a weak fire.

A professional gas log cleaning service will also give you peace of mind knowing that there’s nothing wrong with your gas fireplace. During the cleaning service, a technician will inspect your gas fireplace.