Let me start by saying, I know absolutely nothing about fireplaces. My husband and I are new home owners with 2 small children and we could not wait until it got cold outside so we could use the fireplace. I have lit the fireplace maybe 10 times this year and I noticed yesterday there was a lot of soot on the brick on the mantle and now the logs are full of soot. We do have a chimney so I assume that means we have a vented fireplace.

Due to my inexperience with fireplaces, I have to take the logs off every time to light the pilot because once I turn the fireplace completely off the pilot goes out and at this point the logs are so full of soot I don't want to have to do that. I tried cleaning my mantle last night just with a wet towel but it is still black so my main question is

I feel that I am not doing something correctly or if I am doing everything right how do I keep the area clean and what products do I clean it with. Does the pilot supposed to stay lit even when the fireplace is not in use? I do not have a glass door, only a screen and I keep it closed all the way when the fireplace is let because I have small children.

Any help with these concerns would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance.

Have you checked your chimney for a flue damper? Chimneys have a flue damper which is a trap door like gate that should stop cold air coming down the chimney when not in use. If your flue is closed the hot gases and carbon monoxide can not escape, causing soot and poisonous fumes to enter the home.

I did not check the flue, thanks. Do you have any advice on how to clean the gas logs and my mantle or do I need to purchase new logs? Also, is there any way to keep the pilot lit?

I had no knowledge of the chimney flue

''Chimneys have a flue which is a trap door'' The chimney pretty much is a flue. Usually they have dampers in them. Shine a light up in the top of the fireplace. There should be some sort of a door or flap sealing the top, with a handle to pull. Once open, it may let light in, and you will hear outside sounds better. You want it open when you have a fire, and closed other times.

Where do you turn the gas on to light the pilot light? Does it look like the gas valve pictured at https://www.askmehelpdesk.com/heating-air-conditioning/heating-cooling-maintenance-repair-troubleshooting-frequently-asked-questions-58313.html If so, when you shut the fire place off, you could turn it to pilot.

If you don't turn the fire place off, is it controlled by a thermostat and cycle on and off? If so, you could also just turn the thermostat down, shutting the gas off and leaving the pilot.

I won't try to say how to clean things up. Once clean, if you open the damper before starting the fire, they should stay cleaner.

''Chimneys have a flue which is a trap door'' The chimney pretty much is a flue. Usually they have dampers in them. Shine a light up in the top of the fireplace. There should be some sort of a door or flap sealing the top, with a handle to pull. Once open, it may let light in, and you will hear outside sounds better. You want it open when you have a fire, and closed other times.

Where do you turn the gas on to light the pilot light? Does it look like the gas valve pictured at https://www.askmehelpdesk.com/heating-air-conditioning/heating-cooling-maintenance-repair-troubleshooting-frequently-asked-questions-58313.html If so, when you shut the fire place off, you could turn it to pilot.

If you don't turn the fire place off, is it controlled by a thermostat and cycle on and off? If so, you could also just turn the thermostat down, shutting the gas off and leaving the pilot.

I won't try to say how to clean things up. Once clean, if you open the damper before starting the fire, they should stay cleaner.


Thank you. I am really starting to understand this. What is the difference between vented and unvented logs and is there a correct way the logs are supposed to be positioned to decrease sooting?

Labman noticed I had left off the word damper, I should have printed flue damper. The discoloration on you bricks can be left in place or brushed off with a stiff brush. The logs can be vaccumed with a brush attachment. Much of the soot will eventually burn off.

Some heating appliances require vents and some don't. I don't understand. When I was a kid, every winter there would be news stories about people dying from unvented heaters. They were banned. Now they are legal again. If yours has a vent, it needs to be open when on.

I made the mistake of buying a Charm Glow ventless LP fireplace. They have developed new burners that burn fuel at a very high efficiency rating, 99.9% so they claim they don't need venting. This fire place came in two versions vented and ventless and you had to pick one ,they could not be converted. I picked ventless and now regret it. After a few hours of use there is an odor of burnt fuel in the room. Hasn't killed us yet but I don't imagine it is making us healthier either. They have oxygen depletion sensors that should cut the flame if oxygen gets too low but I'm sure that sensor can fail like any other part. Should have gone vented.