When a Novato fireplace quits, it is rarely random — an igniter tired from idle months, a cap rusted by salt air, creosote from real wood fires, or mortar cracked by movement. We show you what failed, fix it with the right part, and test-fire before leaving.
Your information is kept private and used only for your fireplace service request.
From the post-earthquake inspection to a brand-new outdoor fire feature, these are the six fireplace services Novato homeowners book with us.
Repair
Fireplace Repair
Any fireplace, any failure — diagnosed first, then fixed with the right parts. In Marin County we test part by part — masonry, damper, ignition, valve — and repair the failure we find.
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Repair
Gas Fireplace Repair
Gas units are the everyday fireplace in most Novato homes — this is the call we run most here. Pilot that won't stay lit, dead remote, weak or lazy flame: gas systems diagnosed safely and repaired to code.
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Cleaning & Care
Fireplace Cleaning
Soot, dust and that stale closed-up smell removed from the firebox, glass and burner — the deep clean a gas fireplace needs after sitting shut through a long, hot summer.
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Cleaning & Care
Fireplace Inspection
Firebox, flue, venting and controls checked end to end, with a plain-language report. Buying, selling, or just inherited the fireplace? The inspection is where the facts come from.
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Install & Replace
Fireplace Installation
A new gas fireplace or an outdoor fire feature, done right: sizing, venting, gas and electric runs, finishing — one crew, start to first fire. In Novato that often means a gas insert in an existing firebox — usable even on no-burn days.
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Cleaning & Care
Fireplace Service & Maintenance
The annual service that keeps a Novato gas fireplace lighting first try: full clean, burner and pilot service, safety sensors tested, and a test fire before we leave.
Get a free estimateNeed something else — a damper, a blower, a smoke problem, a bird in the flue? We cover all 27 fireplace specialties. Call (888) 257-9181 and describe it.
A fireplace in Novato lives with California's mix all at once — ground that moves, air that corrodes or dries, summers that idle it and winters that work it. This is what we actually find here, and what we check on every visit.
California ground moves, and unreinforced masonry chimneys take it in the mortar joints, flue tiles and crown. Cracks can open inside the flue where nobody sees them, and a damaged flue lets heat and exhaust reach framing. In Novato, an inspection after a shake — before the fireplace is lit again — is standard, plain caution, and we check the masonry on every visit.
In metro areas, air-quality rules restrict wood burning on bad-air days, so the fireplaces that work every evening are gas. That is why gas inserts and log sets are the common conversion in Novato: sealed, remote-lit, usable on no-burn days, and they use the existing chimney as the chase. We measure the firebox and walk through the options on a free estimate.
Older California homes — Spanish-style, craftsman and mid-century — often carry original masonry fireplaces with aging mortar, older dampers and flues built to another era's standards. They are worth keeping and worth checking: cracked joints, tired dampers and worn firebox brick are repairable when they are caught before water and heat widen the damage.
Drought-dry planting makes an outdoor fire feature in California a clearance-and-safety conversation first: what sits near the flame, what the wind carries, and whether burners and valves have survived seasons of sun and dust. We install and service patio fireplaces and fire pits with those clearances checked, not assumed, and we flag plantings and furniture that sit too close.
Novato sits in Marin County, and the ZIP list at the bottom of this page covers 3 serviceable ZIP codes — 94945 through 94949. The closest served neighbors are San Rafael, Fairfax, San Anselmo, and every one of them is covered by the same crews, the same day, under the same number: (888) 257-9181.
Same-day service, free estimates, licensed & insured — and a fireplace that lights when you click the remote.
Yes — before you light it again. Ground movement cracks flue tiles, opens mortar joints, shifts caps and can damage gas connectors, and most of that damage is hidden inside the chimney. An inspection checks the firebox, flue, venting and controls end to end and gives you a plain-language report, so the first fire after a shake is lit in a system known to be sound.
Yes — quietly and constantly. Metal caps, dampers, grates and vent terminations corrode faster in salt-carrying air, and a rusted-through cap lets rain straight down the flue while corroded venting becomes a safety issue. An inspection checks the metal parts most companies skip, so corrosion in Novato gets caught while it is still a small repair instead of a replacement.
Sitting idle through a hot California summer is hard on a gas fireplace. Dust settles in the pilot orifice, insects nest in the burner ports, and a thermocouple or igniter that was already tired gives up over the off months. Most of the time it is one small part or a thorough cleaning — a tech traces the exact cause on the spot and fixes it in the same visit.
The common causes are a cold flue at startup, a blocked or undersized flue, a clogged cap, or a house sealed so tightly the fireplace cannot draw — that last one is frequent in newer Novato construction. A tech checks them in order, on the spot, and fixes the actual cause instead of selling you parts at random for a pressure problem.
Leave the fireplace off, and if the smell is strong, leave the house and call your gas utility or 911 first. Once it is safe, call us: after any ground movement, a gas smell deserves a connector and valve check before anything else. A faint odor at startup can be a lazy ignition, but a leaking valve or connector is fixed before the fireplace is used again — never after.
No — and be wary of anyone who does. Every fireplace fails differently, so a phone price is a guess that changes at your door. Our estimates are free: a tech looks at the actual problem, then gives you one clear price before any work starts.
Fireplace Team is a national company with local technicians serving Novato street addresses across the ZIP codes below — same-day service and free estimates, every day 8 AM – 8 PM. More of California is covered from our California page. The Novato list below covers 3 ZIP codes, 94945 through 94949.
Don't see your ZIP? Novato also uses P.O. Box and single-organization ZIP codes that have no street addresses — call (888) 257-9181 and we will confirm coverage for your street address on the call.
Also serving nearby: San Rafael, CA · Fairfax, CA · San Anselmo, CA · Larkspur, CA · Petaluma, CA · Corte Madera, CA.
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