20 Most Recent Napoleon 36" Zero Clearance Top/Rear Vent Natural Gas Fireplace with Black Door Questions & Answers

There are a few things that could be causing this problem. The most common resolution to this problem is making sure the thermo couple is screwed tight into the valve. While looking at the gas control valve, you'll see a few wires and small metal tubes going into it. The one you want to tighten is the tube that is copper. Even if you get only a half a turn on the little brass fitting that's holding it screwed in, that's usually enough. If that doesn't do the trick let me know and I'll get back to you with some other things to try.

I had this exact problem. Open the glass front. Take a piece of fine steel wool and clean the little metal ends where the flames ignite. Sometimes they just get gummed up. It prevents enough flow from getting through to maintain a flame.

A thermcouple is what keeps pilot on, if your unit has both a thermocouple and thermopile then your pilot CAN stay lit and main burner not come on.do not buy a gas vavle untill you check the thermopile voltage!! very costy blunder.this is how you test it..( open circuit test) Disconnect thermopile leads from valve. take a volt meter set it to millivolts- set it to a mv reading above 500 so that you can test it correctly, my meter has 2000 setting and I use that. connect T/P leads to meter leads.. reading should be 500mv.
( closed circuit test) connect leads of meter to terminals that your thermostat or on/off swich are hooked too, usually top and bottom terminals on most gas valves, turn unit on and reading should be 150mv or more... you need try open circuit. I can test your vavle too if you like keep me posted if I helped or not. 15 yrs experience in gas repairs!!

Yes and no...... If the fireplace wont turn on from that switch, Most likley a diffrent switch

Please define the ACTUAL PROBLEM please!

bad thermocoupler

sounds like bad flame sensor this is a safety if it doesnt sense flame it will shut the gas valve off

Electrical short in the wires somewhere, at ignition control module, possibly. That what I would check for 1st, intermittent problems are the worst to diagnose, and sometimes the easiest?

Despite the simplicity of a Millivolt system,troubleshooting them is often not as simple, if you go by the book using a Volt/Ohm meter to test the generator and gas valve. The Pilot Generators are less tricky as they all put out 750 mv or 3/4 of a volt out of the system, in the system is where each result will be specific according to what gas valve is used, not all gas valves have the same ohm's values, and many newer gas valves cannot be ohmed due to the design! They will read open every one of them. The way to make it simple and assure you never get any call backs is to take a AA battery and attach a wire to each end of the battery, Radio shack sells battery boxes with leads built in for several dollars. Remove the 2 leads from the gas valve coming from the pilot generator and replace them with the AA battery leads If the gas valve operates normally via battery, it is a good gas valve, if not it is bad. If you apply voltage to the gas valve and get zero amp draw,the gas valve is bad. Do not leave the battery in place and operate the unit in this manner unless you are able to be diligently watching it, never sleep or leave etc, it is strictly for emergency use or testing. Old time units had no pilot safety, the pilot valve was manually operated just like a garden hose, if the wind blew it out it still kept coming, however as natural gas is lighter than air it will vent if it is allowed to via the flue, propane units must have 100% safety for the pilots operation as propane is heavier than air and will not vent, it settles in the lowest spot making propane more dangerous in that respect than natural gas is. 750 mv is 3/4 of 1 volt, not much power, the thermopile makes this power by having 2 dissimilar metals co joined in the end of the thermopiles that impinges the pilot flame. A temperature differential must be maintained across the thermopiles end, if the entire end of the thermopile is hot the power will drop off or stop all together, thus extinguishing the pilot. Many homeowners make the mistake of setting the thermopile too far into the flame, heating the entire end, not just the top 1/3 portion thinking this will bake it into submission, or force it to make power when in reality it does the opposite.

by pass the switch, if fireplace runs, then replace the switch