Thank YOU!!! I almost went down the thermalpile/cloupler rabbit hole, but this is THE first thing to check. My fireplace was connected to a broken thermostat, which I haven't used and don't want to use anymore. Jumper wire test saved me LOTS of time and $$$.
Thank you… you should make a video about making the older units like this one to operate during a power outage, with the jumper. All the videos on RUclips only show how to install batteries to the newer models to get them working during a power outage. Nothing on older pilot light style gas fireplaces. Our power will be out for 10 hours and the temperature is -6F. That jumper that you showed, opened the valve and allowed my main gas valve to open. Nobody is showing folks how to open the main valve when the switch on the wall is dead. This video helped provide heat to my home, and may have saved my water pipes. Fingers crossed. Big thank you…..
Thanks, man! this was problem on my fireplace. The wires were corroded / loose at the switch). Scuffing the wires with sandpaper and tightening them up fixed it up nicely. Appreciate the help!
Great presentation and video!! Turns out my automatic gas valve is defective after 20 years , so I'm going to install a generic one....Thanks for posting!!
I think I'm going to have to replace the gas valve on mine. I have struggled to keep my freestanding gas fireplace running for the last 18 years (very similar to yours, except mine is freestanding, so easier to work on). I have kept it limping along by cleaning it every year, fiddling with it, hoping and getting lucky. Last year I replaced the entire thermocouple/thermopile assembly unit, and it worked all winter. Note: I did get my thermocouple/thermopile assembly unit from Amazon, so that could be the issue. I also replaced the switch which seemed to help one year. This winter, when we had our first cold snap (-34C outside right now), I cleaned it all out, but have not gotten it running after three days of working on it. I can get the pilot to light, but as soon as I release the push and hold pilot nob, the pilot goes out. I have also changed out my propane regulator (I own four of them), but nothing is working. I also put my MAPP gas torch on the thermopile/couple to see if one or both was weak. I'm wondering now if the valve has always been faulty (buggy) without completely failing. I love the stove when it's working, as it puts out a massive amount of heat, and has a top that I can cook on in a pinch. But it is a royal pain to keep running. The valve unit is $140 (US), but a new stove is $2,500. I wish there was a way to check the valve unit before I replace it, but I haven't found anyone online who demonstrates how to test the valve unit.
Awesome video I have the same exact fireplace. Mine will turn on all the way but in less then a minute there is a pop sound and have no flame even on pilot please help
Cheers, nice video, question though, when you had a call for heat you did not measure mv at valve, often these main gas control valves do not have the high limit switch, same symptoms and you find the thermopile is just not producing enough to open the valve, while shorting across the terminals almost always turns the valve on. Loved your video though, not enough fireplace content on the tube.
MV when gas valve opens is about 190 mV... I had another intermittent issue where pilot flame hood had lint and dust and didn't give enough flame to thermopile. This caused the flame not to come on. So i cleaned the orifice and increased pilot flame adjustment on the valve. Now i get 100 mV more on thermopile, and fires right up. I recorded another video on that ... Editing it now. Thanks for your input. Cheers
Do I have a bad gas valve? I have a discontinued gas valve. The thermocouple reads 28-30mv, and the thermopile gets to 300-400 when heated. Both prove that the TP and TC work. Also checked continuity on the wall switch. The pilot light lights up but as soon as I let go after 2 min it turns off.
Maybe bad contact. I've spoken with a tech who services 5-10 fireplaces a day for last 15 years. He said in 15 years he had to replace on about 5 gas valves. So it is very rare for the valve to go bad. So my guess the TC or TP contact might be bad. If you hold a lighter to the TC, will the pilot light stay on, and will the flame come on? You can try a stick lighter
@@RemodelCalculator just tried it and doesn’t stay on. I started the pilot light then after about a minute I brought a stick lighter and turned it on and slowly switched to ON on the gas valve. Almost seems like either the gas valve is bad/stuck or it’s never getting that mv signal to open the solenoid and let gas through. This came up on the Inspection when we bought the house (20 year old) but I never gave it much thought until now before winter.
James A My 19 year Heat-n-glo has a standing pilot system with a strong pilot light. It started working intermittently. I replaced both thermopile & thermocouple. I turned it on every day for a week & now nothing. Any suggestions?
Thank you for such a descriptive video... So far yours is the closest problem that I have with our fireplace. We have a Heat & Glow SL-750TR-D model. Our pilot light seems to be holding steady blue and strong. Our thermopile seems to be holding around 420-430 millivolts. But when we turn the switch from the wall on, the burner doesn't wanna turn on. Ur video says the thermopile should be around 650-800 mv. I also checked our switch. I actually changed it, coz that was the easiest thing to do 😅😅, (rather than trying to change the thermopile or thermocouple) but it did not work for us yet. still trying to figure out the problem. How do you go on checking what else could be the problem? Can it be a gas valve issue? how do you test that? Any help will be appreciated... thanks in advance...
Thermopile should be around 650-800 mv when inactive. When it opens the gas valve, voltage drops. If you increase pilot flame, the voltage on thermopile should also increase somewhat. If it does not - you may have a bad thermopile. Easy way to test is to use a long nose lighter, and apply heat directly to thermopile for 30-60 seconds, without running pilot light.
Also, from speaking to a service tech at Fireplace store that does 3-5 calls a day - in 10 years he had 2-3 bad valves. So most likely it's not a valve. I'm in process of publishing version 2 of this video, with more troubleshooting details and steps. Finally - watch this video (by AC Service Tech): ruclips.net/video/riaN_j5tmX4/видео.html
Hi… thank you for your reply… I followed ur instructions in the video (using the jumper cable and everything) and the fireplace seemed to be working just fine until this winter season when I needed the fireplace again… this season I did everything again but this time even the jumper cable trick didn’t seem to be working… u know just to even test it… Could it be my gas valve that needs replacing/surgery this time? Waiting for your reply… thank you…
It could be that wires to the switch are broken or you have a high limit switch that is disengaged or open. You can try running two different wires to the switch separately from the existing wires and see if that works.
Update: Mine was the switch. Stupid switch was almost $30 so I got remote controlled unit for $55. Thank you thank you thank you!! Mine has a seperate wall switch and it's bad. As soon as i tried your trick, wiith the jumper, it turned right on.
You have a dirty pilot, the thermal pile is ok but the flame is shooting directly at the pilot components. I usually used compressed air. But you have to give it plenty of time for that to dissipate because it is flammable.
Actually my pilot is clean. I took it apart and made sure there's no lint or dust inside of it. Just don't show it in the video. One of the issues was the pilot light was too small so I had to make an adjustment on a gas valve to increase the flame a little bit.
I have a heatilaor fireplace that doesn't ignite at all with the remote. I also noticed the pilot is off and there is no way to manually ignite the pilot. Can someone help me on this?
So the repair man said that he could not even short circuit the switch and that the thermocoupler had too low of millivolts since it was around 130 - and so the milliamps that ran the pressure value or something from the thermocoupler was bad - the sensor. So they are replacing the whole circuit that contains the thermocoupler, pile, etc. Can you explain that for me? thanks
Have you measured mV on thermopile? Ut should be running at around 400 mV or higher when main flame is NOT on. When you turn main flame on, mV is normal nyo drop to below 200... Maybe 170-180 mV. This is because voltage goes to keep gas valve open. What is the voltage on ur thermopile? If around 300 mV it may not be enough. Often the thermopile is dirty and u should clean it with non-abrasive Scotch bright pad. Also often pilot flame is too small - either flame hood is partially clogged or flame gas volume is too small. Usually the thermophile is not bad but does not get hot enough. I already recorded a long video about it. Need to edit and publish
@@RemodelCalculator Thanks! Yes they said with the main flame not on the thermopile was only around 310 mV. So he also used the Scotch pad to clean it - and it didn't work. So - look forward to your video! Thanks - that explains the connection to the gas valve. OK - makes sense now. I think he probably needed to use something stronger than the Scotch pad - like 200 rated sand paper. I had some around in the garage I think or car - oops. Oh well - they ordered to replace the whole unit. Probably fair enough but now even the pilot light is not on! I have a big sleeping bag and blankets covering the lower opening where the cold vent comes in. haha. We had 20 below Zero fahrenheit here also. Pretty funny. thanks
@@voidisyinyangvoidisyinyang885 there is no need for 200 grit. Scotch pad is enough. There is a separate valve (set screw) to increase pilot flame. Your repair guy should know about it. If he did not try, he is looking to do extra work at your expense. 310 mV is close ... You just need a about 100 more which is easy ... Clean lint/dust from pilot hood, blow clean the pilot orifice (do not use any needles), amd slightly increase pilot flame. I have a feeling you guy is not helping u. How did pilot light stop working?
@@RemodelCalculator OK I heard him say to his boss that the pilot flame was strong - and all three flames going - and that was true. So but I saw tons of white all around that area - so pretty sure it was just super dirty and that green pad didn't do the job. haha. Thanks for the feedback. He did mention needing to buy his wife a diamond ring. haha. Oh well - I've seen other vids using sand paper. Yeah thanks for your help - I feel better knowing the situation at least.
That pilot is barely touching the thermocouple, modern pilot like that has removable head, you can try cleaning it with dental tools and adjusting at the gv because if the thermopile doesnt have adequate flame it wont produce full voltage and the older they are the weaker they get. same with mV loss thru the tstat circuit, any more than 150mV and youre making the tpiles job harder, and the gas valve mV drop will go up with age. Robertshaw sit from 145mv idle to 175mv minimum, at 130 it won't turn on. Nova SIT i see idle from 210mV whenn theyre old to as high as 420mV ona new 750 mV tpile. Too much loss inthe tstat on old wire? Get a fireplace remote, itll only pull 12 mV with new batteries vs 150 to 200 plus on old sh*t wiring that isnt worth the time repairing or replacing.
wrong - sorry bud, your problems is the pilot is clogged. pilot should not have yellow tips - you need to remove the pilot hood and orifice clean and blow it out. you were half right. the tp and tc need to be cleaned, with a strong pilot it will not produce consistent operation
Слушай помоги мне пожалуйста у меня перестал работать Газовый камин ему наверно лет 40 как минимум но при этом в шикарном состоянии я уже брала напрямую провода замыкал и все равно Он не зажигается при этом что маленький Феттель горит постоянно
You can not have thermocouple and thermopile the same time. The rod you are referring to is not thermocouple. Thermopile usually around 240 millivolts hols the pilot solenoid down and once you call for heat from thermostat the two spades at valve get connected. You might know some stuff but stop saying thermopile and thermocouple.
Thank YOU!!! I almost went down the thermalpile/cloupler rabbit hole, but this is THE first thing to check. My fireplace was connected to a broken thermostat, which I haven't used and don't want to use anymore. Jumper wire test saved me LOTS of time and $$$.
This video was a lifesaver. I’ve been trying to figure out my fireplace for months I can’t believe a regular wall switch could go bad like this!
I had a shortage in my wires at the unit 😒 I figured this out from this video
Did your wall switch have a ground wire? Mine doesn't.
Edit:. there's no ground. Just the two wires running from the box below.
@@FlawlessCFO yeah, mine must be the wires too, i tested the switch with a multimeter and it tests good.
Thank you… you should make a video about making the older units like this one to operate during a power outage, with the jumper.
All the videos on RUclips only show how to install batteries to the newer models to get them working during a power outage. Nothing on older pilot light style gas fireplaces.
Our power will be out for 10 hours and the temperature is -6F. That jumper that you showed, opened the valve and allowed my main gas valve to open. Nobody is showing folks how to open the main valve when the switch on the wall is dead.
This video helped provide heat to my home, and may have saved my water pipes. Fingers crossed.
Big thank you…..
Thanks, man! this was problem on my fireplace. The wires were corroded / loose at the switch). Scuffing the wires with sandpaper and tightening them up fixed it up nicely. Appreciate the help!
Great presentation and video!! Turns out my automatic gas valve is defective after 20 years , so I'm going to install a generic one....Thanks for posting!!
Great explanation! I’m new to gas fireplaces and this video provided a lot of knowledge.
Very helpful. So now ik the switch is back. Perfect explanation. 10/10
Thanks for the video. Going to help my cousin tonight try to fix his. Nobody can figure it out.
I think I'm going to have to replace the gas valve on mine. I have struggled to keep my freestanding gas fireplace running for the last 18 years (very similar to yours, except mine is freestanding, so easier to work on). I have kept it limping along by cleaning it every year, fiddling with it, hoping and getting lucky. Last year I replaced the entire thermocouple/thermopile assembly unit, and it worked all winter. Note: I did get my thermocouple/thermopile assembly unit from Amazon, so that could be the issue. I also replaced the switch which seemed to help one year. This winter, when we had our first cold snap (-34C outside right now), I cleaned it all out, but have not gotten it running after three days of working on it. I can get the pilot to light, but as soon as I release the push and hold pilot nob, the pilot goes out. I have also changed out my propane regulator (I own four of them), but nothing is working. I also put my MAPP gas torch on the thermopile/couple to see if one or both was weak. I'm wondering now if the valve has always been faulty (buggy) without completely failing. I love the stove when it's working, as it puts out a massive amount of heat, and has a top that I can cook on in a pinch. But it is a royal pain to keep running. The valve unit is $140 (US), but a new stove is $2,500. I wish there was a way to check the valve unit before I replace it, but I haven't found anyone online who demonstrates how to test the valve unit.
Thank you for very good for simple and useful explanation of how fireplace works
awesome vid - thanks for explaining the thermocouple and thermopile - and hunting down the bad switch. Fascinating. thanks
I’ve had a plumber and a A/C guy at my house they couldn’t figure it out. The switch jump was the bomb !
Awesome video I have the same exact fireplace. Mine will turn on all the way but in less then a minute there is a pop sound and have no flame even on pilot please help
You ever figure it out? Mine goes out after fan turns on. Blahhh
Cheers, nice video, question though, when you had a call for heat you did not measure mv at valve, often these main gas control valves do not have the high limit switch, same symptoms and you find the thermopile is just not producing enough to open the valve, while shorting across the terminals almost always turns the valve on. Loved your video though, not enough fireplace content on the tube.
MV when gas valve opens is about 190 mV...
I had another intermittent issue where pilot flame hood had lint and dust and didn't give enough flame to thermopile. This caused the flame not to come on.
So i cleaned the orifice and increased pilot flame adjustment on the valve. Now i get 100 mV more on thermopile, and fires right up.
I recorded another video on that ... Editing it now.
Thanks for your input. Cheers
Thank you. Happy Holidays 👍👍
Are you real Rich Rebuilds?
@@RemodelCalculator no just a good friend of his. I haven’t hung out with him since the virus started.He’s a great guy.
@@RemodelCalculator I’m trying to fix my neighbors fireplace and your video was very helpful. Thank You.
Great video.....best I've found!
Do I have a bad gas valve? I have a discontinued gas valve. The thermocouple reads 28-30mv, and the thermopile gets to 300-400 when heated. Both prove that the TP and TC work. Also checked continuity on the wall switch. The pilot light lights up but as soon as I let go after 2 min it turns off.
Maybe bad contact. I've spoken with a tech who services 5-10 fireplaces a day for last 15 years. He said in 15 years he had to replace on about 5 gas valves. So it is very rare for the valve to go bad.
So my guess the TC or TP contact might be bad.
If you hold a lighter to the TC, will the pilot light stay on, and will the flame come on? You can try a stick lighter
@@RemodelCalculator just tried it and doesn’t stay on. I started the pilot light then after about a minute I brought a stick lighter and turned it on and slowly switched to ON on the gas valve. Almost seems like either the gas valve is bad/stuck or it’s never getting that mv signal to open the solenoid and let gas through. This came up on the Inspection when we bought the house (20 year old) but I never gave it much thought until now before winter.
@@RemodelCalculator ended up being a bad valve. Order one from fire parts and with small modifications I got it to work.
James A
My 19 year Heat-n-glo has a standing pilot system with a strong pilot light. It started working intermittently. I replaced both thermopile & thermocouple. I turned it on every day for a week & now nothing. Any suggestions?
sometimes, you need to wait longer than a minute for thermopile/couple to heat up enough.
For me it sometimes takes as long as 5-10 minutes.
Thank you for such a descriptive video... So far yours is the closest problem that I have with our fireplace.
We have a Heat & Glow SL-750TR-D model. Our pilot light seems to be holding steady blue and strong. Our thermopile seems to be holding around 420-430 millivolts. But when we turn the switch from the wall on, the burner doesn't wanna turn on.
Ur video says the thermopile should be around 650-800 mv.
I also checked our switch. I actually changed it, coz that was the easiest thing to do 😅😅, (rather than trying to change the thermopile or thermocouple) but it did not work for us yet. still trying to figure out the problem.
How do you go on checking what else could be the problem? Can it be a gas valve issue? how do you test that?
Any help will be appreciated... thanks in advance...
Thermopile should be around 650-800 mv when inactive. When it opens the gas valve, voltage drops.
If you increase pilot flame, the voltage on thermopile should also increase somewhat. If it does not - you may have a bad thermopile.
Easy way to test is to use a long nose lighter, and apply heat directly to thermopile for 30-60 seconds, without running pilot light.
Also, from speaking to a service tech at Fireplace store that does 3-5 calls a day - in 10 years he had 2-3 bad valves. So most likely it's not a valve.
I'm in process of publishing version 2 of this video, with more troubleshooting details and steps.
Finally - watch this video (by AC Service Tech): ruclips.net/video/riaN_j5tmX4/видео.html
Hi… thank you for your reply… I followed ur instructions in the video (using the jumper cable and everything) and the fireplace seemed to be working just fine until this winter season when I needed the fireplace again… this season I did everything again but this time even the jumper cable trick didn’t seem to be working… u know just to even test it…
Could it be my gas valve that needs replacing/surgery this time?
Waiting for your reply… thank you…
If pilot is lit and you jumper the wires at the switch and the burner will NOT ignite but will ignite when jumping at valve. Suggestions?
It could be that wires to the switch are broken or you have a high limit switch that is disengaged or open. You can try running two different wires to the switch separately from the existing wires and see if that works.
You helped me out. Thanks man!
What was the problem with your fireplace?
Update: Mine was the switch. Stupid switch was almost $30 so I got remote controlled unit for $55.
Thank you thank you thank you!! Mine has a seperate wall switch and it's bad. As soon as i tried your trick, wiith the jumper, it turned right on.
my switch was $2.79 ... what kind of switch do you have??
are you in Toronto?
No, i'm in the US
I will try it .
When I try to jump the main flame as you've done the pilot goes out, similar to how a breaker would flip.
I did this shortcut way still no flame? but fireplace pilot assembly new
You have a dirty pilot, the thermal pile is ok but the flame is shooting directly at the pilot components. I usually used compressed air. But you have to give it plenty of time for that to dissipate because it is flammable.
Actually my pilot is clean. I took it apart and made sure there's no lint or dust inside of it. Just don't show it in the video.
One of the issues was the pilot light was too small so I had to make an adjustment on a gas valve to increase the flame a little bit.
What ever thermopile value is with no load it should drop approx by half with valve energized.
I have a heatilaor fireplace that doesn't ignite at all with the remote. I also noticed the pilot is off and there is no way to manually ignite the pilot. Can someone help me on this?
I'm having the same trouble my walk remote has no power
So the repair man said that he could not even short circuit the switch and that the thermocoupler had too low of millivolts since it was around 130 - and so the milliamps that ran the pressure value or something from the thermocoupler was bad - the sensor. So they are replacing the whole circuit that contains the thermocoupler, pile, etc. Can you explain that for me? thanks
Have you measured mV on thermopile? Ut should be running at around 400 mV or higher when main flame is NOT on. When you turn main flame on, mV is normal nyo drop to below 200... Maybe 170-180 mV. This is because voltage goes to keep gas valve open.
What is the voltage on ur thermopile? If around 300 mV it may not be enough. Often the thermopile is dirty and u should clean it with non-abrasive Scotch bright pad. Also often pilot flame is too small - either flame hood is partially clogged or flame gas volume is too small.
Usually the thermophile is not bad but does not get hot enough.
I already recorded a long video about it. Need to edit and publish
@@RemodelCalculator Thanks! Yes they said with the main flame not on the thermopile was only around 310 mV. So he also used the Scotch pad to clean it - and it didn't work. So - look forward to your video! Thanks - that explains the connection to the gas valve. OK - makes sense now. I think he probably needed to use something stronger than the Scotch pad - like 200 rated sand paper. I had some around in the garage I think or car - oops. Oh well - they ordered to replace the whole unit. Probably fair enough but now even the pilot light is not on! I have a big sleeping bag and blankets covering the lower opening where the cold vent comes in. haha. We had 20 below Zero fahrenheit here also. Pretty funny. thanks
@@voidisyinyangvoidisyinyang885 there is no need for 200 grit. Scotch pad is enough. There is a separate valve (set screw) to increase pilot flame. Your repair guy should know about it. If he did not try, he is looking to do extra work at your expense.
310 mV is close ... You just need a about 100 more which is easy ... Clean lint/dust from pilot hood, blow clean the pilot orifice (do not use any needles), amd slightly increase pilot flame.
I have a feeling you guy is not helping u. How did pilot light stop working?
@@RemodelCalculator OK I heard him say to his boss that the pilot flame was strong - and all three flames going - and that was true. So but I saw tons of white all around that area - so pretty sure it was just super dirty and that green pad didn't do the job. haha. Thanks for the feedback. He did mention needing to buy his wife a diamond ring. haha. Oh well - I've seen other vids using sand paper. Yeah thanks for your help - I feel better knowing the situation at least.
Should a gas fireplace always have a small flame?
Do you mean pilot light or the actual flame?
@@RemodelCalculator Yep, the pilot light keeps turning on. Do I have to turn it off or Can I keep turning it on?
That pilot flame looks weak. It should be stronger engulfing more of the thermopile.
Agree, I made 2nd video where I adjusted the valve to increase the flame.
That pilot is barely touching the thermocouple, modern pilot like that has removable head, you can try cleaning it with dental tools and adjusting at the gv because if the thermopile doesnt have adequate flame it wont produce full voltage and the older they are the weaker they get. same with mV loss thru the tstat circuit, any more than 150mV and youre making the tpiles job harder, and the gas valve mV drop will go up with age. Robertshaw sit from 145mv idle to 175mv minimum, at 130 it won't turn on. Nova SIT i see idle from 210mV whenn theyre old to as high as 420mV ona new 750 mV tpile. Too much loss inthe tstat on old wire? Get a fireplace remote, itll only pull 12 mV with new batteries vs 150 to 200 plus on old sh*t wiring that isnt worth the time repairing or replacing.
I would of first went to the wire and ohm out the switch and seen which direction the open was at.
wrong - sorry bud, your problems is the pilot is clogged. pilot should not have yellow tips - you need to remove the pilot hood and orifice clean and blow it out. you were half right. the tp and tc need to be cleaned, with a strong pilot it will not produce consistent operation
Слушай помоги мне пожалуйста у меня перестал работать Газовый камин ему наверно лет 40 как минимум но при этом в шикарном состоянии я уже брала напрямую провода замыкал и все равно Он не зажигается при этом что маленький Феттель горит постоянно
Search for a thermopile testing with a multimeter, you may need that to clean or a replacement.
You can not have thermocouple and thermopile the same time. The rod you are referring to is not thermocouple.
Thermopile usually around 240 millivolts hols the pilot solenoid down and once you call for heat from thermostat the two spades at valve get connected.
You might know some stuff but stop saying thermopile and thermocouple.
Pilot
y
This guy has no idea what he is doing the pilot needs to be cleaned