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How to Clean the Glass on your Gas Fireplace

Like changing your furnace filters, visiting the dentist, and getting the seasonal tires changed, cleaning the glass on your gas fireplace is one of those things you need to do a couple of times per year. Find out how easy it is to clean the glass on your direct vent gas fireplace. Adding this little chore to your annual maintenance routine will ensure your fireplace will provide warmth, light, and memorable moments for years to come.

 

Why Do You Need to Clean the Glass on a Gas Fireplace?

While gas fireplaces are nearly low maintenance, there is still at least one thing you need to do on a regular basis. That’s cleaning the glass. This ensures that you know how well your fireplace is performing and extends the life of your fireplace because it can alert you to any issues it may be having otherwise. You can schedule this gas fireplace maintenance or clean when you notice any build-up.

One of the reasons you may need to clean the glass on your gas fireplace is that sometimes a hazy grey-white film can build up. There are a couple of reasons that this can happen.

 

New Fireplaces

On new fireplaces, there is a period of off-gassing during the first ten hours of consecutive use. Any particulates or manufacturer’s residue mix with the combustibles in the fireplace and will deposit themselves on the glass as condensation as the fireplace cools down, which will then require a cleaning.

 

Older Fireplaces

On older fireplaces, this film can build up because of the natural venting process. Minerals in the fuel source like calcium and sulfur or from the outside air brought in to vent the fireplace can cause buildups on the glass as these things are not combustible.

 

How to Clean the Glass on a Gas Fireplace

Maintaining a gas appliance on your own can be a dangerous idea if you don’t have a background in safe gas appliance maintenance. However, cleaning the glass is 100-percent safe. Just follow the instructions in your fireplace’s manual. We suggest using cream or alcohol-based cleansers, however, consult your local fireplace specialists for suggestions on cleansers. They may also have some in stock.

Find your nearest local Napoleon Dealer here.

 

How to Clean Your Glass

  1. Following your manual’s instructions, turn off the gas and allow the fireplace to cool.

  2. Open the front.

  3. Leave the glass on the fireplace hinges if it has them, otherwise, remove and set safely onto a soft and stable surface like a towel or sheet.

  4. Follow the instructions on the fireplace glass cleaner and clean both sides of the glass. Use wiping motions in opposite directions to ensure you don’t get streaks (and if you do you will know which side they’re on thanks to their direction).

 

STOP!

A few pointers before you go gung-ho on your glass.

  • Do not use an ammonia-based cleanser like oven cleaner or windex

  • Do not use an abrasive cleanser like comet

  • Do not use paper towel

 

While cleaning the glass in your direct vent gas fireplace is something that should be done a couple of times per year, it’s alright to be unsure. You can always call a local fireplace maintenance professional instead of doing it yourself. However, this will incur a cost. Have you cleaned your fireplace’s glass lately? Share your beautiful fireplace photos and stories on our social pages like Facebook and Instagram, using the hashtag #NapoleonFireplaces.

Maintenance
Safety