To make gas fireplace flames yellow, you will need to adjust the amount of air coming into your gas fireplace; the less air coming in, the more yellow the flame. Alternatively, some fireplaces have color adjustment knobs.
Changing the Air Mixture
When you lessen the air mixture of the gas fireplace, the normally blue flames can be made yellow or orange.
Most gas fireplaces will have a valve cover with one or more screws holding it in place. This is the air mixture area. Remove the screws to access the valve, and adjust it, with the fire unlit, to restrict the amount of air coming into the fireplace.
After you’ve done your adjustments, you can carefully start the fire to gauge if you’ve done the correct adjustments or not.
If the color isn’t correct, wait for the fireplace to cool down before attempting to adjust the air mixture more. Never perform adjustments on a hot fireplace.
Color Adjustment Knobs
If your fireplace has a color adjustment knob, it will be on the front of the fireplace. These knobs are usually round or square and have a small hole in the center.
Gas fireplace colors can differ depending on the make and model of the fireplace, but colors that can be commonly found on color adjust knobs are: red, orange, yellow, green, blue, purple.
You will insert either a purpose-made tool or a straightened paperclip into the hole in the center of the knob and turn it to the desired color, holding it in place for a second so the change sticks.
Should Gas Fireplace Burn Blue or Yellow?
All properly adjusted gas fireplaces will burn a clean blue, but a lot of gas fireplace owners lament they can’t have a traditional red, yellow, and orange looking fire.
Ideally, your gas fireplace should burn blue. A blue flame means your natural gas is cleanly burning, and there is no soot or other debris being burnt up inside of your fireplace.
A blue flame might not be as visually appealing, but it’s a sign of a well-functioning fireplace.
We know now that we can adjust the color of our fireplace flames ourselves, but if you haven’t adjusted your flame color and your gas fireplace is burning any color other than blue, you need to troubleshoot to find out the root cause of the new color.
Check to make sure your air mixture is correct and that there are no contaminants in your fireplace that would change the flame color.
