Gas Fireplace Repair in Woodland Hills: Written Report, Licensed Technicians

A homeowner on the Moorpark Street corridor called us last winter after their gas logs stopped lighting mid-evening. They'd had a gas log set installed into their original masonry fireplace about six years earlier, a common conversion in Studio City's 1950s and 1960s ranch homes. The pilot light would ignite for a few seconds, then die. They assumed the gas valve was bad, but they also mentioned a faint smell near the firebox and soot staining on the brick surround that hadn't been there before. With two kids in the house, they didn't want to keep troubleshooting on their own. They wanted someone out that week.

This is a pattern we see often in the Ventura Boulevard flats and Tujunga Village neighborhoods, where older masonry fireboxes were built for wood burning and later converted to gas logs without a full venting assessment. The original damper may have been clamped open or removed entirely. The flue dimensions were sized for wood-fire draft, not the lower BTU output of a gas log burner. When you add years of mortar deterioration from Southern California's seismic micro-cracking and seasonal temperature swings, you get a system that looked fine on the surface but was failing in ways that a simple part swap wouldn't fix. That's the call we responded to.

We started with a Level 2 inspection per NFPA 211, which includes a camera scan of the full flue interior. The video showed cracked clay tile liners at two joint points roughly eight feet above the smoke shelf. Mortar had separated enough to allow exhaust gases, including carbon monoxide, to migrate into gaps between the liner and the surrounding brick. The thermopile had degraded below the millivolt threshold needed to hold the gas valve open, which explained the pilot failure. But the thermopile was the symptom, not the real problem. The real issue was that this masonry flue had never been relined or properly evaluated when the gas log set was installed.

We replaced the failed thermopile and tested the thermocouple, which was still within spec. Then we addressed the flue: we recommended a stainless steel liner sized for the gas log set's BTU rating, sealed at both the top and the connector. The homeowner also needed a CO detector within fifteen feet of the fireplace, something the original installer apparently never mentioned. After relining, we confirmed draft performance and gas pressure at the valve. The system passed re-inspection. If you have a gas log conversion in an older masonry fireplace anywhere near the Tujunga Village or Moorpark Street corridor area, a camera inspection is not optional. Review the CPSC's guidance on CO risks from gas appliances before your next use.

Family Home Chimney Experts performs every gas fireplace repair to CSIA standards. If your converted fireplace has never had a Level 2 inspection, call us to schedule one before the next burn season.