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Town and Country Appliances
Town and Country Appliances

Town and Country Appliance Repair

From humble beginnings in the Pacific Northwest, they revolutionized the industry with the introduction of the contemporary, clean face fireplace. Since then, they have continued to innovate and inspire as the North American leader in luxury fireplaces.


Gas Fireplace Repair

My Pilot Stays Lit but Eventually Goes Out 
For sealed Direct Vent fireplaces, blockage in venting can cause the fireplace to shut down.  Birds, bats, mice, and other vermin are sometimes known to build nests inside/on top of fireplace terminations. Because the fireplace cannot expel the exhaust or cannot get enough oxygen, the flame will “starve” for air and eventually everything will go out (including the pilot light). This will happen within minutes of initially turning on the fireplace. One way to verify this is to try running the fireplace for a short period of time with the glass removed or cracked open slightly. If it runs fine with the glass off or open a bit, you can defiantly determine it has an issue with the venting, most likely blockage that needs to be cleaned out. Another reason your pilot may cut out could be related to your pilot light flame.  After you first turn it on, the fireplace will start to create draft as the chimney heats up. If your pilot flame is more “candle like” and less “blow torch like” you may see the draft start to affect the pilot flame as the fireplace heats up. 

My Pilot Light Will Not Stay Lit 
It should be blue and intense and the flame should engulf the sensors surrounding it. This is important because those sensors need to be a high enough temperature to keep the gas flowing to the pilot. NOTE: some fireplaces will not have a thermocouple AND a thermopile. Some fireplaces just contain a thermopile. The same idea applies to this setup as well. It all starts with a healthy pilot flame. If the pilot flame is not healthy, it will not engulf the thermocouple or thermopile and the result: a pilot that wont stay lit once you stop pressing in the pilot knob. If you determine that you have a bad pilot flame, you can either clean out your current one with a wire brush (cheap but not long term) or replace the pilot assembly (orifice and hood). Cleaning it out would require taking the pilot assembly apart, taking the pilot orifice out, and cleaning everything with compressed air and the pilot hood with a wire brush. 

Resistance Test 
One way to test if your main control valve is bad is by testing resistance. We can do this with our Digital Multimeter. First lets make sure it is in the correct setting. We what it in the Ohm’s setting (Ohms is basically a term that refers to resistance). This is sometimes shown in symbol form: Ω. First, find you need to find “Zero” but touching your multimeter leads together.  If it reads anything other than zero, you’ll want to subtract this number from the number you will read on the valve. To test the valve, disconnect all wires from the TP and TH terminals, then place your meter leads on these terminals. Typically, for this next test you may be experiencing random occurrences of your pilot going out.  This test is for the SIT valve only.  It is a way to check and see if there is something wrong with the valve and not the thermocouple itself. 

How does the wall switch affect the fireplace’s function? 
Millivolt gas fireplaces have a pilot light that heats up a sensor (commonly called a thermocouple or thermopile). The thermopile and thermocouple generates electricity when heat is applied to it (not much, actually under 1 volt). This small amount of voltage is sent to the wall switch.  When you flip the switch on, it will send that voltage back to the fireplace and signal to the fireplace to turn on the flame. What can happen over the years, is that the connections inside the switch can get dirty, corroded, or broken, causing a loss of this voltage at the switch.  So by the time the small amount of voltage gets sent back to the fireplace, it is not enough to signal the fireplace to turn on. 

Removing the Glass assembly 
The easiest way to find out how to remove your fireplace glass is to locate your owner’s manual. Most manuals have step by step instructions that are specific to your fireplace on how to remove and clean the glass. The bad news is that if you are like most fireplace owners, you do not have a manual.  The good news is that most fireplaces were designed for easy glass cleaning with some sort of quick-release system.  If not, a few screws can be removed to remove the glass frame. Most often, they are spring loaded clams that you can undo without any tools. Some may require lifting up and will remove fully. Others have spring loaded clips hidden under the louvers that must be pressed in order to rotate it down. And if your fireplace is old enough, you may have to remove screws that hold the louver on so you will need your All-in-One Screwdriver. If you have to remove screws just be sure you do not strip them as you will have to re-install them in the end.



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Product Reviews:

These units are made in Canada by PACIFIC ENERGY and are sold throughout No
These units are made in Canada by PACIFIC ENERGY and are sold throughout North America by authorized dealers. They offer wide screen models and see through units as well as an arched unit for a traditional look and feel. All of the units have a battery backup to operate during power outages. The units also have their "maestro" control system which incorporates a wall-mounted on/off flame control switch and a programmable hand held remote. The HELIFIRE 360 fire has a unique ultra-modern look and features all stainless steel construction but it is only available for natural gas. The units are backed by a good warranty.
Published: January 22, 2020
hvac-for-beginners.com
Source: hvac-for-beginners.com

I have had a T&C42 in my home for about ten years and in that time I ha
I have had a T&C42 in my home for about ten years and in that time I have had about ten HOURS of carefree use of the fireplace. My wife dislikes that it comes on with a glass-rattling “WHOOMP!!!” (When it will start), won’t run for longer than about forty minutes and is totally unreliable. We have it serviced under a “contract” which is supposed to be annual but I usually wait until two years have passed before I call and remind them that we are here. Right now I am waiting for the cracked burner to be replaced and expect that the “Lifetime Warranty” will have somehow expired. Nice looking fireplace, as long as you don’t expect flames.
Published: August 1, 2019
Stephen Dunsmore
Source: facebook.com

Bought our 2 fireplaces from this business almost a year ago. They let us k
Bought our 2 fireplaces from this business almost a year ago. They let us know that our fireplaces were in a few months later and to let them know when they were ready to install. I called when we were ready to install and we scheduled a date the following week. The night before they were suppose to come to install, I received a call that our fireplaces were no where to be found so we had to push back the install date. Then, silly me, I thought when I bought two fireplaces that when the install was complete, that the finished job would be complete. But I was wrong. He told our contractor the exact size the hole needed to be to install for the sheetrock and when it was installed, the hole was much too big so there was a large gap all the way around our fireplace. I thought there would be a piece of trim to cover this gap, but there was not. I was told by the business owner that this was not his problem because we never paid him for a "finished job". He treated me very unfairly, spoke to me like I was a complete idiot and I was completely unsatisfied by his conduct with me and his service. I will never use this company again.
Published: April 27, 2018
Emma G. Oneonta, NY
Source: yelp.com

I specify these units on my jobs and have one in my own home. By far the mo
I specify these units on my jobs and have one in my own home. By far the most realistic looking gas units on the market.
Published: January 22, 2019
Lisa Johnson-Poirier
Source: facebook.com

We had another business install a fireplace a few years ago. Let's pu
We had another business install a fireplace a few years ago. Let's put it this way, the transaction was smooth. After that it was a nightmare. Nothing but problems. Shortly after installation the fan stopped working. Tried 2 other shops and got a bunch of song and dance and stalling. Someone recommended Town and Country. I called and made arrangements to have them look at our fireplace. Then I saw the previous one star review. Went forward anyway. Glad we did. Our experience was outstanding. Not only did they fix what we discussed, but corrected some of the lousy "work" when installed. Actually cheaper than quoted. Highly recommend. Will be using for routine service and maintenance.
Published: February 15, 2021
John B. New Hartford, NY
Source: yelp.com

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