Fireplace clicks but will not light: causes and repair cost in Fort Collins

A gas fireplace that clicks and clicks without lighting has an electronic intermittent pilot ignition system that is sparking but never proving a flame. The spark is the good news: the module and the electrode are alive. In Fort Collins the fix is a $150 to $300 service call plus, most often, a pilot assembly at $300 to $600 or an ignition module at $350 to $700. A surprising share of them are dead batteries and cost nothing but the visit.

Check this first

Five minutes, and none of it involves gas piping.

Change the batteries in the backup pack. Behind the bottom louver there is usually a four-AA holder clipped to the frame. Those batteries are not just for outages on many units; a weak pack drops the spark energy and the unit clicks without lighting. Replace all four, and do the remote handset and the receiver while you are in there.
Check the wall switch and the ON/OFF/REMOTE rocker. Many electronic units have a three-position switch behind the louver. If it is in the wrong position, the wall switch does nothing and the remote does nothing.
Confirm the gas valve handle is on. A quarter-turn lever or a knob marked ON and OFF, usually at the shutoff behind the louver or in the wall near the fireplace. If a plumber or a summer project shut it, that is the answer.
Confirm gas elsewhere in the house. If the range and the water heater are fine, the supply is fine and the problem is at the fireplace.
Then stop. Two lighting attempts, five minutes apart. Do not remove the pilot hood, adjust the electrode gap, or spray anything into the burner.

What is usually wrong

What you observe	Likely cause	Fix and cost
Clicks weakly or intermittently	Dead or weak battery backup pack	Batteries, told to you free on the call
Clicks strongly, no flame ever	No gas at the pilot: plugged orifice or closed valve	Pilot assembly, $300 to $600
Clicks, tiny flame flashes, then lockout	Flame sensing rod fouled or cracked	Pilot assembly, $300 to $600
No click at all, no spark	Ignition module, wiring, or switch	Module $350 to $700, switch $150 to $400
Lights only after many tries, with a puff	Delayed ignition: partly blocked pilot	Do not keep trying, book the visit
Worked until the power blipped	Module locked out and needs a reset	Diagnosed within the service call

Those numbers are the same ranges on the pricing page. The pilot and ignition repair page explains how our tech tells a fouled electrode from a failed module with a meter instead of by swapping parts.

Why this happens in Fort Collins

The stock is right for it. Electronic intermittent pilot ignition is what came standard in the newer subdivisions: Timnath, the Wellington and Windsor build-outs, Fossil Creek and the Harmony corridor infill, and the Centerra side of Loveland. Those houses have no standing pilot at all, so when they fail they fail as a click.

Summer shutdown, spider season. With no standing pilot burning from April to October, the pilot orifice is a cool, sheltered opening all summer. Spider webbing and dust in that orifice is the single most common reason a strong spark never finds gas.

Altitude on top. Fort Collins is at 4,997 feet and the National Fuel Gas Code derates gas appliances above 2,000 feet by about 4 percent per 1,000 feet. A unit set up with sea-level orifices lights late and lights hard, which is what that whump on the third try actually is. Orifice size against the elevation is checked on every visit; the gas fireplace repair page has the full altitude section.

When it is a safety issue

Any smell of gas: leave the house, leave the door open, do not touch a switch or a garage door opener, and call your gas utility’s emergency line or 911 from outside. A fireplace company is the second call.

Two other stop signs. If the unit finally lights with a bang or a puff that you feel through the glass, that is delayed ignition, and it is what breaks fireplace glass and, on propane units, has driven manufacturer recalls. Stop using it. And if there is fresh soot on the wall or the mantel above the opening, the fireplace is spilling combustion products into the room and needs the safety inspection before it burns again.

What to expect on the call

Send the model number from the rating plate inside the bottom louver, say that it clicks, and say whether you replaced the batteries. That is enough for us to load a pilot assembly and the likely module for your brand.

On site: leak check first, then spark and flame-sense readings at the module, pilot orifice and electrode inspection, gas pressure at the manifold in inches of water column, and orifice size against 4,997 feet. Cleaning the pilot assembly resolves a large share of clicking calls inside the service call. If a part is needed, you get the price before it goes in, and the unit is test-fired from cold twice before the tech leaves. Fireplaces in Timnath, Windsor, and Loveland run on the same schedule and the same numbers.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the clicking sound when my fireplace will not light?

That is the electronic ignition module firing a spark at the pilot, over and over, and never proving a flame. The unit will usually click for a set number of seconds, give up, and lock out. It means the spark is happening, so the fault is normally gas at the pilot, a fouled electrode, or the module itself.

Where is the battery pack on an electronic fireplace?

Behind the bottom louver, usually a plastic holder for four AA batteries clipped to the frame or hanging on a wire. It is the backup power that lets an intermittent pilot ignition unit light during an outage, and on many units a weak pack makes the fireplace click without lighting even when the house has power.

How much does this repair cost in Fort Collins?

The diagnostic service call is $150 to $300. If it is the pilot assembly with the spark electrode and flame sensing rod, that is $300 to $600 installed. An ignition module is $350 to $700, and brand sets that price more than anything else. Batteries cost you a few dollars, so check them before anyone books a visit.

How many times should I try to light it?

Twice, with five minutes between attempts, then stop. Each failed cycle sends a little unburned gas into the firebox, and repeated tries are how a delayed ignition puff happens. If you smell gas at any point, leave the house and call your gas utility or 911 from outside.