Gas Logs in Sherman Oaks, Vented and Sized to Your Firebox

Gas logs come in two families, vented and unvented, and in a California home the choice is made for you. California's codes do not allow unvented gas log sets in homes, so every set we install is vented, which means it sends its exhaust up the chimney the way a wood fire does. That brings two rules. The damper must be permanently fixed open with a clamp, so a closed damper can never trap exhaust in the room. And the chimney must be sound and clear, with a liner in good condition and a cap on top, because the set depends on it. Converting a wood fireplace to gas logs is a change of fuel under NFPA 211, so we look at the flue with a camera first or confirm a recent Level 2 is on file. Old creosote from wood fires gets swept out before the logs go in.

Sizing comes next. The burner and logs have to fit the firebox, with the side and rear clearances the set's instructions list, and the heat output has to suit the flue size and the room. An oversized set in a small firebox overheats it and stains the face above the opening. An undersized set in a big Valley fireplace looks lost. We measure the firebox width at front and back, its height and depth, and the flue, then show you sets that fit. For factory-built fireplaces, the listing label says whether gas logs are allowed at all and which ones. Some units accept only specific sets, and the label outranks any catalog.

Many Sherman Oaks fireplaces already have a gas key valve on the floor or wall near the hearth, left from an old log lighter. That pipe is often too small for a full log set, and its location may not suit the burner. A new or upgraded gas supply to the fireplace is plumbing work that in the City of Los Angeles takes a permit from the Department of Building and Safety, and in Burbank, Glendale and the other cities a permit from their own building department. We size the line, install a shutoff where the code and the set's instructions call for one, pressure-test the line and arrange the inspection. Then we install the burner, set the logs to the diagram, light it, check the flame and draft, and take a carbon monoxide reading at the opening.

Gas log installs are quoted in writing after we see the fireplace, because the price depends on the set you choose, the firebox and whether the existing gas line is usable. Remote controls and electronic ignition add cost and need batteries or a power source. If you want real heat rather than a flame to look at, a gas insert in the same opening runs $2,750 to $5,550 installed and puts much more of the gas into the room. Gas logs suit owners who want a live flame on a cold evening with no ash and no wood smoke, and who are not counting on the fireplace to heat the house. Once installed, a set needs a yearly service that keeps the logs in place, the burner clean and the flue clear.