Gas fireplace repair and service, by our own technicians.
Pilot out, weak flame, dead remote, fogged glass. Our own technicians repair gas, wood and pellet fireplaces, inserts and stoves of every make, and give the working ones the yearly service that keeps them working. Call, or leave your number and we call back within one business day.
- Every makeThe brands we sell and the ones we do not
- Our own techniciansThe people who install fireplaces are the people who repair them
- 30+ yearsOn 75th Street in Downers Grove, seven days a week
- In writingThe estimate before we come, a note of what was done after
About A Fireplace Store and More
The store’s own technicians service and repair gas, wood and electric fireplaces across Chicago’s western suburbs, from the showroom at 1202-B 75th Street in Downers Grove. Book a service visit online or call (630) 241-1919. If you smell gas, leave the house first and call Nicor (888-642-6748) or 911 before anyone else.
What we fix.
Most calls are one of these six. Tell us which one it sounds like and what changed since it last worked, and the technician arrives with the likely parts on the van.
01
Pilot and ignition
The fire will not light, or lights and goes out. On a standing-pilot unit that is usually the pilot assembly, the thermocouple or the thermopile; on electronic ignition, the module, the spark electrode or the battery backup.
- Pilot will not stay lit
- Clicking but no flame
- Lights, then drops out
- Delayed ignition with a thump
02
Flame and heat
A weak, lazy or yellow flame, soot on the glass or the logs, less heat than last year. Burner ports, the air shutter, log placement and gas pressure are where we look.
- Weak or uneven flame
- Yellow flame and soot
- Logs out of position
- Less heat than before
03
Remotes, switches and receivers
Wall switches, thermostatic remotes, the receiver behind the louver and the wiring between them. We carry the remotes and receivers the common makers use, so most control faults are fixed on the first visit.
- Remote does nothing
- Switch works, remote does not
- Thermostat mode will not hold
- Replacement remotes on the van
04
Glass, gaskets and the firebox
A white film on the glass, a gasket that no longer seals, cracked refractory panels, embers and glass media that have shifted. Cleaned, resealed or replaced with the maker’s parts.
- Fogged or filmed glass
- Cracked firebox panels
- Gasket leaks and odor
- Embers and media reset
05
Blowers, fans and noise
A blower that rattles, hums, will not start or will not stop. Usually the fan itself, its snap switch or the speed control; now and then the wiring.
- Fan rattles or squeals
- Blower will not start
- Blower runs on
- Adding a blower
06
Wood, pellet and outdoor
Wood and pellet stoves and inserts, outdoor gas fireplaces and fire pits, gas grills: gaskets, glass, augers and controls on the pellet side, burners and ignition outdoors.
- Stove door and glass gaskets
- Pellet auger, igniter, controls
- Fire pit and outdoor burners
- Grill ignition and burners
How a repair visit goes.
Four steps, the same for a fireplace we sold and one we did not.
-
1
You call, or leave your number.
We call back within one business day, take the make, the model and what changed, and set a time. A photo of the rating plate helps; it can go by text once we have called you. Service visits are requests; the online booking is for showroom visits.
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2
The estimate, in writing, before we come.
Tell us the make, the model and what changed and you get the figure in writing. We do not publish a price list, because the same symptom can be a five-minute adjustment on one unit and a valve on another.
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3
The visit.
The technician finds the fault first and tells you what it is before anything is replaced. If a part is needed, you hear what and why before it goes in. Most control faults are fixed on the first visit.
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4
A written note afterward.
What was done and what to watch. When a repair is no longer worth it, we say so, and a new insert in the same opening is the honest answer.
Have ready when we call back
- Make and modelFrom the rating plate inside the firebox or behind the lower louver. A phone photo is enough.
- What changedWhat it does now, what it did before, and roughly when it changed; whether anyone has worked on it since.
- AccessA clear path to the unit and the gas shut-off, and a working smoke and carbon-monoxide alarm in the room.
- If you smell gasDo not book a visit. Leave the house and call Nicor at 888-642-6748 or 911 from outside.
The yearly service.
A working fireplace wants one visit a year, before the season, and the whole unit gets the same hour whether it is one of ours or not.
What the visit includes
- Glass off, cleaned inside and out; the gasket checked and replaced if it has hardened
- Burner, pilot assembly and ports cleaned; the logs, embers and media reset to the maker’s drawing
- Thermocouple or thermopile tested under load; the valve, the wall switch, the remote and the receiver checked, batteries changed
- Blower cleaned and its switch tested
- Venting and termination looked at from inside and out; the firebox panels and the frame checked for cracks and leaks
- A carbon-monoxide check at the unit, and a note of anything that will need attention next year
Wood, pellet and the chimney
A wood-burning fireplace or stove is serviced from the top down: the flue swept, the cap and crown checked, the damper, the firebrick and the door gaskets looked at, and the whole thing inspected to one of the three levels of NFPA 211:
- Level 1the yearly look: the accessible parts of the chimney and the flue, checked with lights and mirrors, on every sweep.
- Level 2adds a camera run of the whole flue. Ask for it when a house is sold, after a chimney fire, or before a new insert or liner goes in.
- Level 3opens walls or the chimney structure where a Level 2 has found a reason to. It is rare, and we say so before we start.
The chimney page covers sweeping, liners, caps, crowns and leaks in full.
You get a written note of what was done and what to watch. Book it in September or October and the fire is ready for the first cold evening.
What we service.
| Gas fireplaces, inserts and stoves | Every make: the brands we sell and the ones we do not. |
|---|---|
| Wood and pellet stoves, inserts and fireplaces | Every make. |
| Outdoor fireplaces, fire pits and gas grills | Every make. |
| Chimneys and flues | Sweeping, inspection, liners, caps, crowns and tuckpointing. The chimney page has the detail. |
| Electric fireplaces | Only the units we installed. For one bought elsewhere we point you to the maker’s service line. |
| Emergency calls | During store hours, on (630) 241‑1919. There is no after-hours line. If you smell gas, do not wait for us: leave the house and call Nicor (888-642-6748) or 911 from outside. |
The technicians who install fireplaces are the ones who repair them.
A Fireplace Store and More has sold, installed and serviced fireplaces from the showroom on 75th Street for more than thirty years. The people at your door are our own technicians. They see the nineteen brands we carry every week, and the makes we do not sell, because a fireplace does not care who sold it.
Why that matters on a repair
Most gas fireplace faults look alike from the sofa. A fire that will not light can be a dead remote battery, a pilot assembly full of dust, a thermopile that has aged out, a valve or a wall switch. The technician sees which in the first few minutes, tells you before anything is replaced, and the estimate is written.
The same crew handles the yearly service, the chimney sweeping and inspection for the wood-burning side of the house, and the day a repair stops being worth it and a new insert in the same opening is the honest answer. One phone number, one schedule, the same people.
Our showroom, in thirty secondsA Fireplace Store and MoreSee the floor before you drive. Gas, wood, pellet and electric, lit side by side. Mon–Fri 10–5 · Sat 11–4 · Sun 1–4, 1202-B 75th Street, Downers Grove.
Leave your number. We call back within one business day.
Your name, your number and an e-mail. We call back within one business day, take the make, the model and what changed, and set a time. A photo of the rating plate can go by text once we have called you. Or call (630) 241‑1919.
Questions we get about repairs.
Do you repair fireplaces you did not sell?
Yes. We service every make of gas, wood and pellet fireplace, insert and stove, outdoor fireplaces and fire pits, gas grills, and chimneys, whether the unit came from us or not. The one exception is electric fireplaces: we service only the electric units we installed ourselves.
My gas fireplace will not light. What can I check before I call?
Three things, none of them tools. First, the wall switch or the remote: try the other one, and put fresh batteries in the remote and in the receiver box behind the lower louver. Second, the gas shut-off: the key valve in the floor or wall, or the small lever on the pipe under the unit, should be in line with the pipe. Third, if your unit has a standing pilot, look for the small blue flame behind the glass; if it is out, the relighting steps are on the label inside the lower louver, and they are written for a homeowner. If you smell gas at any point, stop, leave the house and call Nicor at 888-642-6748 or 911 from outside. If the fire still will not light, call us with the make, the model and what changed.
How often should a gas fireplace be serviced?
Once a year, before the season. A gas fireplace burns cleaner than wood, but it still builds a film on the glass, dust in the burner ports and the pilot assembly, and wear in the thermocouple or thermopile that lights it. The yearly visit catches those before a cold evening does.
What does a service call cost?
We quote before we come. Tell us the make, the model and what changed, send a photo of the rating plate if you can, and you get the figure in writing; if a part is needed we tell you what and why before it goes in. We do not publish a price list, because the same symptom can be a five-minute adjustment on one unit and a valve on another.
Do you take emergency calls?
During store hours, yes: Monday to Friday 10 to 5, Saturday 11 to 4, Sunday 1 to 4, on (630) 241-1919. There is no after-hours line. If you smell gas, do not wait for us or anyone: leave the house and call Nicor (888-642-6748) or 911 from outside.
Can you still get parts for an older fireplace?
Often. Send a photo of the rating plate inside the firebox or behind the lower louver and we check the maker’s parts list before we come. Thermocouples, thermopiles, pilot assemblies, valves, blowers, glass and gaskets are still made for most units from the last twenty-five years. When a maker has closed and the firebox panels or the valve are no longer made, we say so, and a new insert in the same opening is the honest answer.
Do you also sweep and inspect chimneys?
Yes. Our chimney team sweeps, inspects to the three levels of NFPA 211, and repairs caps, crowns, liners, flashing and leaks. The chimney page has the detail, and the Naperville, Lombard, Downers Grove, Hinsdale, Burr Ridge, Wheaton, Bolingbrook, Woodridge, Lisle, Elmhurst, Aurora, Joliet, Orland Park and Plainfield pages say what a cleaning visit includes.
Downers Grove first, then the western suburbs around it.
Darien, Woodridge, Lisle, Westmont, Clarendon Hills, Oak Brook, Willowbrook, Western Springs, La Grange, Elmhurst, Glen Ellyn, Plainfield, and the towns between. Each town page says what we see most in its houses.
A Fireplace Store and More · Downers Grove, IL
Ready when you are.
Send the make, the model and what changed, and we call back within one business day with a time. Every visit ends with a written note of what was done.
Showroom hoursMon–Fri 10–5Sat 11–4Sun 1–41202-B 75th St, Downers Grove
Our showroom, 75th Street, Downers Grove