so, how I got into this mess: We have an old Martin vent-free propane gas log set in our fireplace (I believe the model number is: AS40WM/HW40WM/MS40WM), and we had been using our small propane tank because I wanted to empty it before I filled our big tank (little tank is a 30 lb, big one is 100 lb). She told me that the small tank was finally empty because the flame went out. We went to the store, filled the big tank, hooked it up, and viola the logs wouldn't light.
The pilot gets a spark, and I see a flame, but it never seems to "catch." Now, after I start to wonder what's going on, my wife mentions that the logs seemed to be shifted or moved from where she remembered them being, and when I moved the logs, I saw a small metal clip underneath the logs (pics here:https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1HhvdcQyXu6VR0UBnUIJIs9u6_SMBGOZYZqvl9QyQYnA/edit?usp=sharing )
Now, I have small children, and there's a good chance that the metal clip came from somewhere else, but I was suspicious of the timing of its appearance. I tried cleaning out the pilot line, cleaning the thermocouple, and I even tonight found another thermocouple, and it still wouldn't light/stay lit.
Now, using a match, I can get the logs lit by holding the match at the pilot light, and after 15-20 turning the burners on, however they won't stay lit for more than 1 minute max, and usually not that long. Everything that I've read tells me that the problem is the thermocouple, and it's telling the gas logs that there's no fire, and it needs to shut off the gas. However, I'm having trouble finding a store around me that has the correct thermocouple, and I hate the idea of getting something that may not work online somewhere. That metal clip is also nagging me as I can't find a place on the logs that it seems to fit, and I can't think of where else it may have come from.
Any help, ideas, or suggestions are greatly appreciated.
The pilot gets a spark, and I see a flame, but it never seems to "catch." Now, after I start to wonder what's going on, my wife mentions that the logs seemed to be shifted or moved from where she remembered them being, and when I moved the logs, I saw a small metal clip underneath the logs (pics here:https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1HhvdcQyXu6VR0UBnUIJIs9u6_SMBGOZYZqvl9QyQYnA/edit?usp=sharing )
Now, I have small children, and there's a good chance that the metal clip came from somewhere else, but I was suspicious of the timing of its appearance. I tried cleaning out the pilot line, cleaning the thermocouple, and I even tonight found another thermocouple, and it still wouldn't light/stay lit.
Now, using a match, I can get the logs lit by holding the match at the pilot light, and after 15-20 turning the burners on, however they won't stay lit for more than 1 minute max, and usually not that long. Everything that I've read tells me that the problem is the thermocouple, and it's telling the gas logs that there's no fire, and it needs to shut off the gas. However, I'm having trouble finding a store around me that has the correct thermocouple, and I hate the idea of getting something that may not work online somewhere. That metal clip is also nagging me as I can't find a place on the logs that it seems to fit, and I can't think of where else it may have come from.
Any help, ideas, or suggestions are greatly appreciated.
