If your gas fire pit won’t light at all, it’s short of one of two things: gas reaching the burner or a spark reaching the pilot. One that lights and then goes out a few seconds or minutes later is a different problem. Its safety part, the thermocouple or thermopile, isn’t sensing the flame, so the gas valve shuts on purpose. Outdoor gas fireplaces fail the same two ways, and the checks below work for both.

Note which of the two yours does before you take anything apart. Below is the order our technicians follow on service calls in Los Angeles County and Ventura County, and most of the early steps are safe for a homeowner.

If you smell gas, stop here

Turn the knob or switch off and close the propane tank or the gas shut-off if you can reach it without walking through the smell. Don’t try to light anything and never hunt for a leak with a flame. If the odor is strong or doesn’t clear in a few minutes, move away and call your gas company or 911 from a safe distance. With no smell, still let the burner and media cool first. Fire glass holds heat for a long time.

Know how your fire pit lights

Each of the three common setups fails in its own spots.

• Match-lit. A key valve, a burner ring and no pilot. You hold a long lighter at the burner and open the key.
• Push-button spark with a pilot. Push the knob in, press the spark button, hold while the pilot heats a thermocouple, then turn up the burner. Common on fire tables and older built-ins.
• Electronic ignition. A wall switch or remote runs a control box under the pit that opens the valve, sparks and watches for flame. Most newer pits and outdoor gas fireplaces work this way.

The model label is usually inside the access panel. Keep the manual handy, since hold times and relighting steps vary by maker.

No flame at all: check gas, then spark

Start with the gas. On propane, lift the tank: a light one can feed a pilot with nothing left for the burner. Right after a tank swap, opening the valve fast can trip the regulator’s excess-flow safety and choke the gas to a trickle. Shut everything, disconnect the regulator for a minute, reconnect it and open the tank slowly.

On natural gas, find the shut-off on the supply line. It’s open when the handle lines up with the pipe. Gardeners and pool crews bump these more often than you’d think. If the barbecue out back is dead too, the trouble is upstream of the fire pit.

Then the spark. Battery systems hide a AA or 9-volt in the button cap or control box, so start with a fresh one. With the gas off, watch the electrode while someone presses the button. You want a crisp blue spark to the pilot hood. A weak or missing one points to a wet electrode, cracked ceramic, a gap that has drifted or a loose wire.

Gas and spark both present but no pilot usually means a blocked pilot orifice. Spiders move into pilot tubes over the summer, and fine glass dust collects in the same place. Clear it with canned air, gas off, and leave the orifice itself alone, because poking it oversizes the hole. After each failed try, wait five minutes for the gas to clear.

The pilot lights but won’t stay lit

Holding the knob in keeps the gas valve open by hand until the thermocouple, a thin probe sitting in the pilot flame, gets hot enough to make a small current that holds the valve open on its own. Release too soon and the gas stops.

Give it the full hold time in your manual, and longer on a cold night or after a tank change while air bleeds from the line. Still dropping out? Look at the pilot. A steady blue flame should wrap the tip of the probe. A small, yellow or lifting flame means a dirty pilot or low pressure. A good flame on a probe that won’t hold means a worn thermocouple or a loose connection at the valve.

Many outdoor fireplaces and switch-operated pits use a thermopile, a bigger version that makes enough power to run the valve from a wall switch. When it weakens, the pilot stays lit but the main burner won’t answer the switch. A millivolt meter reading confirms it.

Never tape the knob down, jumper the switch wires or bypass the thermocouple, thermopile or flame sensor. Those parts stop gas from flowing out of a burner that has blown out.

It lights, then dies after a while

Rule out wind first. Santa Ana gusts and evening ocean breezes push the pilot flame off the thermocouple, the probe cools and the valve closes. A glass wind guard helps, and so does a sheltered spot for a portable fire table.

Water comes next. Rain and sprinklers flood pans that don’t drain and soak the electrode. Let it all dry and clear the drain holes. Wet lava rock can crack or pop when heated, so don’t rush it.

Then the media. Glass or rock piled too deep chokes the burner and smothers the pilot, so pull some out if the pilot is buried. Dead patches along the ring point to burner ports clogged with dust or rust scale. On propane, a low or frosted tank can’t keep up with a large burner, and a failing regulator does the same on a full one. Replace a bad regulator; don’t adjust it.

Outdoor gas fireplace trouble spots

If nothing happens at the switch, replace the batteries in the remote and the receiver, then check the breaker or outlet feeding the control box. Logs moved during cleaning can sit over the pilot, so set them back as the manual’s diagram shows. Spiders in the air shutter cause yellow flames and soot on the logs. We handle the gas side of a fireplace. Cracked masonry, chimneys and flues go to a chimney contractor.

Propane and natural gas parts don’t mix

The two gases run at different pressures through different size orifices. A propane pit on a natural gas line makes a weak flame that won’t hold a thermocouple, and a natural gas burner on propane burns tall and sooty, which is dangerous. If a previous owner moved or replumbed the pit, confirm the valve, orifices and pilot match your gas. A conversion takes the maker’s kit and a leak test.

When to stop and call a technician

Tank level, a regulator reset, batteries, a clean pilot, a dry pan and the right media depth are fair game. Stop if a gas smell returns, if the burner lights late with a whoomp, if the work touches a natural gas line, or if the fix means replacing the valve, regulator, thermocouple, thermopile or pilot. Those joints need a leak test afterward.

BBQ Repair Doctor is family-owned and has repaired outdoor gas equipment for more than 30 years. Our certified technicians handle fire pit repair on built-in pits, fire tables and fire bowls, and outdoor gas fireplace repair on built-in and freestanding units, propane and natural gas. We cover homes throughout Los Angeles and Ventura County. You get a firm quote before any work starts, and the repair carries a warranty on parts and labor.

Call 818-392-8666, Monday through Friday from 7 to 5, and tell us what the fire pit does when you try to light it. Same-day appointments are available when the schedule allows.

Fire pit and fireplace lighting questions

Why does my fire pit click but never light?

The spark is there but gas isn’t reaching it, or the spark is landing in the wrong place. Check the tank or the supply valve first, then look for a blocked pilot orifice or an electrode that has been knocked out of position. A wet electrode will click and still fail to light the gas.

Why won’t my fire pit light after it rains?

Water sitting in the burner pan, soaked media and a wet igniter are the common reasons. Let everything dry completely and clear the pan’s drain holes. A cover between uses keeps it from happening every winter.

Can I light an electronic-ignition fire pit with a lighter?

Some models allow it and print a manual lighting procedure in the manual or on the control panel. Follow those steps exactly and never let gas run while you search for a lighter. If your model has no manual procedure, leave it off until the ignition is fixed.

How much fire glass or lava rock should cover the burner?

Usually just enough to hide the burner, with the pilot and thermocouple left clear. Your manual gives the exact depth for your model. Media piled too deep often makes a fire pit light and then go out.

Is it safe to bypass the thermocouple so the fire stays on?

No. The thermocouple or thermopile is what closes the gas valve when the flame goes out. Without it, a gust can blow out the fire and leave gas flowing into your yard. Replace the failed part instead.

Do you repair the chimney on an outdoor fireplace?

No. We repair the gas burner, valve, pilot and ignition. Brick, stone and masonry work on the firebox, chimney or flue needs a chimney or masonry contractor.