Gas fireplace help for Portland-area homeowners

Last updated October 22, 2026 · Reviewed by the Fireplace Helpline tech team

Gas emergency numbers in the Portland area

• NW Natural: 800-882-3377, or 911. NW Natural's rule is "Smell. Go. Let us know." Even if the smell seems mild, leave, then call 911 and its 24-hour emergency line. Don't search for the source.

If your gas bill comes from a different company, use the emergency number on your bill.

How Fireplace Helpline works in the Portland area

We're a video service, not a local shop, and we don't have an office in the Portland area. You book a call, point your phone at the fireplace, and a real fireplace tech guides you by voice. Many problems can be diagnosed, and often fixed, in one call. If yours needs hands-on work, tell us your ZIP code and we'll help you find a local pro.

Flat prices, shown before you book: Quick Fix $49 · Full Diagnostic $89 · Priority Fix $139.

Electric and gas, close to even

45% of Oregon homes heat mainly with electricity and 41% with natural gas (EIA, 2020), so plenty of Portland homes have a gas fireplace and an electric furnace or heat pump.

Gas detectors, and the meter in a disaster

NW Natural suggests a UL-approved residential methane (natural gas) detector, installed and maintained per its maker's instructions; NW Natural doesn't install or service them. It also says that in a natural disaster it's OK to turn off your gas meter if you feel it's safe to do so, but leaving the home comes first when you smell gas.

Propane fireplace in the Portland area?

If your fireplace runs on propane (a tank or cylinders outside and a propane company that delivers, rather than a utility gas meter), the utility numbers above aren't your first call. Smell gas? Get out, then call your propane supplier, or 911, from outside. EIA doesn't publish a reliable propane share for Oregon.

Propane fireplaces have a few problems of their own: a low or empty tank, a fireplace that won't light after a refill, and a regulator buried in snow or ice. The propane industry's safety guide says that if your tank runs out, your propane supplier or a qualified pro should leak-check the system before the gas goes back on. Our guide covers the safe checks: propane fireplace won't light or stay lit.

Portland fireplace not working? Start here

• Pilot won't light: Clicking but no flame, or no spark at all. The usual causes, in order.
• Pilot lights, then goes out: It lights, but won't stay lit. Usually the flame isn't heating the sensor enough.
• Pilot is lit, burner won't come on: The pilot's burning but the main flame never comes up.
• Propane fireplace won't light: Low tank, a recent run-out or refill, or a regulator under snow. Safe checks first.
• Remote not working: Batteries, switch position, then re-pairing. Steps from the manufacturers.
• Proflame 2 blinking red light: One, two or three red blinks on the control module. What each one means and what to do first.

Common questions

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