• 24 parts
  • Checked September 2026

Parts of a Gas Fireplace

Tap a gas fireplace part to read its name, or press Quiz me to find each one.

Parts of a Gas Fireplace

Name Date

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1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24
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Write the name of each numbered part.Answer key

  1. Glass front (fixed glass)
  2. Log set (ceramic logs)
  3. Burner
  4. Firebox
  5. Termination cap (vent cap)
  6. Gas valve (control valve)
  7. Barrier screen (safety screen)
  8. Embers (glowing embers)
  9. Blower (fan)
  10. Louvers
  11. Wall switch
  12. Inner pipe (exhaust flue)
  13. Outer pipe (air intake)
  14. Vent collar (starting collar)
  15. Refractory panel (firebox liner)
  16. Shut-off valve (manual shutoff)
  17. Flex connector (flexible gas connector)
  18. Control module (ignition module)
  19. Pilot hood
  20. Igniter (spark electrode)
  21. Flame sensor (flame sense rod)
  22. Thermocouple
  23. Thermopile (pilot generator)
  24. Burner ports

Drawn for this site on 2026-09-26: a direct-vent gas fireplace cut through from the side with its co-axial vent, a length of the burner with its ports, and a standing and an electronic pilot side by side. Licence: own work.

Each numbered ring is a button. Use the arrow keys to move between them and Enter to choose. Names are read out in Study, and once a part is answered.

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All 24 parts on the diagram

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Start here: 6 main parts 6

  1. Glass front (fixed glass) Tempered or ceramic glass that seals the firebox from the room.
  2. Log set (ceramic logs) Imitation logs placed over the burner. They do not burn away.
  3. Burner Gas leaves through its ports and burns under the logs.
  4. Firebox A sealed inner box. Its visible faces are painted black.
  5. Termination cap (vent cap) The exterior fitting: exhaust leaves and fresh air enters here.
  6. Gas valve (control valve) Regulates gas to the pilot and to the main burner.

Fireplace cut through the side 12

  1. Barrier screen (safety screen) A mesh in front of the hot glass, there to prevent burns.
  2. Embers (glowing embers) Loose material that glows when heated and does not burn.
  3. Blower (fan) Optional on many units. It pushes room air round the hot firebox.
  4. Louvers Room air enters the bottom one and leaves warm at the top.
  5. Wall switch In a millivolt system the thermopile's current powers it.
  6. Inner pipe (exhaust flue) Carries exhaust out of the sealed firebox's top.
  7. Outer pipe (air intake) Draws outside air in, down to the bottom of the firebox.
  8. Vent collar (starting collar) The adapter that joins the unit to its venting.
  9. Refractory panel (firebox liner) Panels of ceramic, cement or glass that line the firebox walls.
  10. Shut-off valve (manual shutoff) A hand valve on the supply line, ahead of the gas valve.
  11. Flex connector (flexible gas connector) A flexible line between the shut-off valve and the gas valve.
  12. Control module (ignition module) On electronic units it sparks the igniter and reads the flame sensor.

Burner ports and two pilots, close up 6

  1. Pilot hood Aims the pilot flame at the sensor and at the burner.
  2. Igniter (spark electrode) Fires a spark across a small gap to light the pilot.
  3. Flame sensor (flame sense rod) A bare rod that tells the module the pilot is lit.
  4. Thermocouple Senses the pilot flame. The gas valve shuts if it cools.
  5. Thermopile (pilot generator) A bundle of thermocouples. Its current opens the main valve.
  6. Burner ports The small holes in the burner that release the gas.

How this list was compiled: Part names and every detail line were checked, for facts only and with nothing copied, against pages and documents read on 2026-09-20. Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Direct_vent_fireplace (an outer housing set in the framing; a sealed firebox with a glass panel facing the room; gas burners inside it; imitation logs and an ember material on top of the burners, which does not burn and glows when heated; an empty space between the firebox and the outer housing that warms room air; an inner flue that takes exhaust from the top of the firebox and an outer flue that draws outside air into the bottom of it; two vents on the room side, cool air in at the bottom and warm air out at the top), https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pilot_light (a thermocouple or pilot generator in the flame makes enough current to hold the gas valve open, and the valve closes when the pilot goes out; a spark between electrodes as the other way to light a burner, with the flame proved electrically) and https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thermopile (several thermocouples connected, usually in series). Three makers' documents that do not share a text, each found from the maker's own site. Guide A, a maker's own glossary article found from https://www.valorfireplaces.com/sitemap.xml: https://www.valorfireplaces.com/blog/gas-fireplace-parts.php (liner box, firebox, window of tempered or ceramic glass, firebox liners of ceramic or glass, fuel bed, a front with a barrier screen, gas valve that regulates gas to the pilot and the main burner, pilot, standing pilot and intermittent pilot, piezo and electronic spark igniters, burner and burner ports, co-axial direct vent, vent collar, termination cap, heat exchanger, optional blower, thermocouple, thermopile that can power a wall switch, flame sensor, standoffs, wall switch, thermostat, remote and receiver). Guide B, found from https://www.heatnglo.com/sitemap.xml and the product page https://www.heatnglo.com/fireplaces/gas/indoor/true-gas-fireplace: the installation manual https://downloads.hearthnhome.com/installManuals/2461_980-TRUE364250IFT-install.pdf and the owner's manual https://downloads.hearthnhome.com/installManuals/2461_981_TRUE364250IFT-owners.pdf (fixed glass assembly, a barrier to cut the risk of burns from the hot glass, decorative front, louvers, firebox, refractory, logs, glowing embers, grate, burner, air shutter, orifice, pilot assembly with a pilot hood, an igniter and a flame sense rod, control module, valve assembly, manual shutoff valve and flexible gas connector, junction box, wall switch, remote, blower, heat shields, standoffs, starting collar also called vent collar, inner pipe and outer pipe, termination cap; with an intermittent pilot the pilot flame goes out when the appliance is turned off). Guide C, found from https://www.regency-fire.com/sitemap.xml and the product page https://www.regency-fire.com/en/Products/Gas/Designer-Gas-Fireplaces/CV40E: the manual https://assets.regency-fire.com/getattachment/3a28add0-dd0d-4c20-bfca-d96ecac44b11/CV40E-12-English-Manual.aspx (glass door, safety screen or barrier, faceplate, firebox, inner panels, log set, embers, burner, burner ports, air shutter, orifice, pilot assembly with a pilot hood, a spark electrode and a flame sensor, thermocouple and thermopile on millivolt models and a flame sensor on electronic ignition models, gas valve, shut-off valve, flex connector, control module, remote receiver, wall switch, junction box, fan, heat exchanger, inner and outer flue collars, a co-axial vent whose inner liner carries the products of combustion out while the outer liner draws air in, termination cap or vent terminal, standoffs; a correct pilot has two flames, one round the flame sensor and one across the burner). Dead or closed on 2026-09-20: the hearth trade association's glossary at hpba.org (404), napoleon.com (403 to a plain fetch), and the sitemaps of empirecomfort.com and mendotahearth.com (404). The fuel-gas code handbook that the plan names is not free to read and was not used. No maker is named on the page. Licence: own work

The drawing: Drawn for this site on 2026-09-26: a direct-vent gas fireplace cut through from the side with its co-axial vent, a length of the burner with its ports, and a standing and an electronic pilot side by side. Our own geometry; nothing traced or copied; the text sources are listed in this dataset's source. Licence: own work

How it works

The parts of a gas fireplace fall into four sets: what you see through the glass, the gas train under the firebox, the pilot, and the vent. The drawing cuts a direct-vent unit through its side and enlarges the burner ports and two pilots.

Read the full guide

What are the parts of a gas fireplace called?

Six names cover the main ones: glass front, log set, burner, firebox, gas valve and termination cap. Start here: 6 main parts asks those. The firebox is sealed behind the glass front, and a barrier screen stands in front of the hot glass. Inside, the log set and the embers sit over the burner, and refractory panels line the walls.

What does the gas fireplace diagram show under the firebox?

Gas comes through a shut-off valve and a flex connector to the gas valve, which feeds the pilot assembly and the burner. The close-up shows two pilots. The standing pilot, on the left, heats a thermocouple and a thermopile. The electronic pilot, on the right, has an igniter and a flame sensor, both wired to the control module.

  • Fixed glass, glass door and window are three makers' names for the glass front. Vent collar, starting collar and flue collar are one part too.
  • A unit has one kind of pilot, not both. A thermocouple and a thermopile mean a standing pilot. A flame sensor means an electronic one.

Questions and answers

What is the difference between a thermocouple and a thermopile?

Both stand in the pilot flame and turn its heat into a small current. The thermocouple proves the pilot is lit, and the gas valve shuts if it cools. The thermopile is a bundle of thermocouples, strong enough to open the main valve.

What is a direct-vent gas fireplace?

One with a sealed firebox and a co-axial vent, which is two pipes, one inside the other. The inner pipe carries exhaust out from the top of the firebox, and the outer pipe draws outside air in. Both end at the termination cap.

Do gas fireplaces have a pilot light?

Yes, in one of two kinds. A standing pilot burns all the time. An intermittent pilot is lit by the igniter when the fireplace is turned on and goes out when it is turned off.

What are the vents above and below a gas fireplace for?

They are louvers, part 10, and they carry room air, not exhaust. Cool air enters at the bottom, warms in the space around the firebox and leaves at the top. A blower, where one is fitted, pushes it along.

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