Hello everyone! First-time poster here with very limited knowledge. We have a direct vent natural gas fireplace in our new house (Insta-Flame model DV34) that is about 30 years old. It wasn’t really operational when we moved in - barely any flame - wasn’t cleaned and serviced in years. We scheduled a service appointment to have it cleaned but the technician found a small gas leak inside the wall next to the unit so he was obviously dealing with it instead of servicing it. He found a loose joint, removed the pipe and put a cap on it. It was a couple weeks ago. Yesterday he came back, put in new piping, cleaned the unit and he also had to replace the mercury switch with an upgrade kit as it won’t turn on after being turned off (which is fine and was planned for).
After that was done, the new part (pilot and whatever is around it, see the second picture in the link below) makes a loud and annoying "electric" buzzing sound when the unit is on so that it’s uncomfortable to just be in the room. It's like you sit next to a power substation. It wasn’t the case before the replacement. The sound becomes less and less loud if I gradually turn the gas shutoff valve but the flame gets smaller, too, so I’m not sure that it’s a proper way to deal with the issue. I wasn’t home when the work was done yesterday - wife was and when she asked the technician about the sound, he said that it’s supposed to be that way because the fireplace is turned on with an electric switch and there is nothing he can do about it. This is a reputable company with good reviews and overall good service.
Some pictures (flame when gas is at max, replacement part)
I called the company today and talked with the technician. He was quite defensive and said again it's supposed to be that way but offered to come over again and take a look, so we set up an appointment in 10 days as they are tightly booked. It will also be with a different technician since this one will be on holidays.
Could it be that the part he installed was faulty or wasn't properly installed? I did some research and found that this kind of sound can be due to gas pressure that is too high (hence it is getting quieter when I turn it down a bit). If so, what is the best solution? I would rather not reduce the flame as it is already not very big. Oh, and speaking of that, do you think that the flame can be improved somehow?
Thank you!
After that was done, the new part (pilot and whatever is around it, see the second picture in the link below) makes a loud and annoying "electric" buzzing sound when the unit is on so that it’s uncomfortable to just be in the room. It's like you sit next to a power substation. It wasn’t the case before the replacement. The sound becomes less and less loud if I gradually turn the gas shutoff valve but the flame gets smaller, too, so I’m not sure that it’s a proper way to deal with the issue. I wasn’t home when the work was done yesterday - wife was and when she asked the technician about the sound, he said that it’s supposed to be that way because the fireplace is turned on with an electric switch and there is nothing he can do about it. This is a reputable company with good reviews and overall good service.
Some pictures (flame when gas is at max, replacement part)
I called the company today and talked with the technician. He was quite defensive and said again it's supposed to be that way but offered to come over again and take a look, so we set up an appointment in 10 days as they are tightly booked. It will also be with a different technician since this one will be on holidays.
Could it be that the part he installed was faulty or wasn't properly installed? I did some research and found that this kind of sound can be due to gas pressure that is too high (hence it is getting quieter when I turn it down a bit). If so, what is the best solution? I would rather not reduce the flame as it is already not very big. Oh, and speaking of that, do you think that the flame can be improved somehow?
Thank you!
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