Fireplace works only when batteries are in place...should work from wall switch

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Phillies Fan

New Member
Sep 27, 2021
1
Asheville, NC
Hi all,

Looking for the right questions to ask. We have a gas fireplace that works only when we put the wall switch on and have the batteries installed for use in a power outage. Without the batteries in place, the fireplace won't light and as soon as you disconnect the batteries the unit shuts off. Sounds like a wiring issue, right? What should I be looking for or do I need to bite the bullet and call a pro? I can get the brand/model if important but at this point it seems more electrical than anything.

Thanks for any suggestions!
 
could be a power supply fault, bad relay which might be a solid state one. I highly doubt that it has a charging circuit in it for the batteries. doesn't make any sense to have to have batteries installed to hold ac circuit on. defeats purpose of battery back up . course your computer does in a sense work that way, but it is for memory retention otherwise you get the dreaded blue/blank screen at turn on.
 
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Ok here's the deal 90 % of the time. The outlet inside your fireplace that is supposed to be hot all the time, was probably wired to another wall switch. This is the outlet that the 3vdc transformer is plugged into. So the tstat wire goes to the control switch that you would normally turn it on/off from. So what might be happening is you are turning the fireplace on, but the power to it is shut off. So unplug the transformer from the outlet inside the fireplace and check that outlet for power with a tester or plug something else into it. If no power start flipping switches that you never knew what they did. The. Check your electric panel. Then come back with your findings.