What might cause this

[Robert Jones]

During an inspection today, there was a direct vent fireplace installed, the pilot light was on, but the flame did not ignite(?) when I tried the wall switch. The flame control was on high, the gas supply was turned all the way on. The home has been vacant for over a year.

Ideas?

Thanks

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[Richard Moore]

I'm sure you probably checked these but just in case...

Was the off/pilot/on control set to pilot?

I also see a wall switch either side. Are you sure you were trying the right one?

[Robert Jones]

I did check those items. The control was set to on and both switches were left in the on position for the duration of the inspection. There was no blower installed.

[Chris Bernhardt]

I run into that alot. I keep flipping the switches periodically, maybe tap on the control valve. I don't know why, but it seems to work.

I have found the fan switch mis-wired on occasion requiring both switches to be on.

What I hate is having to hold the pilot down for 5 minutes to bleed it when someone had turned the gas off.

Chris, Oregon

[SonOfSwamp]

Maybe it's just me, but I told customers to have the seller or RE agent monkey with the fireplace, if the fireplace needed monkeying with.

Me, I didn't monkey. Why? Because as an old HVAC tech told me, "If you mess around with gas every day, sooner or later, you will set yourself on fire."

Really, why would I want to start a fire?

Final funny (sorta): Some years back, a buckethead competitor didn't look up the chimney, but he did fire up and "test" the gas fireplace. (He couldn't just write it up; he had to work on it.)

Well, don't you know, the flame from the monkeyed-with fireplace found the styrofoam just above the fireplace. Lots of thick black smoke, smoke detectors screaming, smoke damage, etc. Big day for buckethead.

I know all this because the RE agent was waiting for the HI to call him at his office, which was just up the road. Instead of getting the HI's phone call, the RE agent heard the fire engines coming up the road.

WJ