Before you attempt to light your fireplace, you’ll want to take some safety precautions by first checking your chimney to be sure it isn’t obstructed by any nests or other debris. You’ll also want to locate your emergency shut-off valve in case you need to shut off the gas at any time while lighting the fireplace. Once you do this, you can follow these basic steps to light the pilot light, keeping in mind that different systems will have slight differences:
Locate the pilot system, which can usually be found on the front fireplace wall. You should see two knobs, one is a high/low knob that is used to adjust the flame, and the other is the pilot knob that has three positions: on, off, and pilot.
Turn the pilot knob to the pilot position. This should allow you to push the knob in, which will manually release gas to the pilot.
Push the pilot light in and hold. At the same time, push the igniter butting in about once every second until you can see that the pilot has lit. If this is the first light of the season, the gas may not reach the pilot immediately, so be sure to allow it some time. Keep holding in the pilot knob during this time.
Once the pilot lights, you’ll want to continue to hold in the pilot knob for 10 to 15 seconds to ensure it stays lit.
You can then release the pilot knob and turn it to the on position. You can adjust the height of the flame using the high/low knob if necessary. Your gas fireplace is now ready to be used for the season.