Fireplace help for San Jose and South Bay homes

Last updated November 4, 2026 · Reviewed by the Fireplace Helpline tech team

Gas emergency numbers in the South Bay

• PG&E: 800-743-5000, or 911. PG&E says that if you smell gas or suspect an emergency, leave the area now and call 911, then call PG&E.

San José Clean Energy buys electricity for most San Jose homes, but PG&E delivers the gas. For a gas leak, call 911 and PG&E, or the emergency number on your bill.

How Fireplace Helpline works in the South Bay

We're a video service, not a local shop, and we don't have an office in the South Bay. 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.

A gas-heated state with mild South Bay winters

64% of California homes heat mainly with natural gas and 20% with electricity (EIA, 2020). In the South Bay, a gas insert or log set mostly comes on for cool, clear winter evenings rather than deep cold, so a pilot that sat off all summer or a remote with dead batteries is the usual first problem. Up the Peninsula, see San Francisco-Oakland; inland, Sacramento.

San José Clean Energy is not your gas company

Since 2019, San José Clean Energy, run by the City, has been the default electricity provider for San Jose homes. It buys the power, but PG&E still delivers it, bills you, fixes outages and provides natural gas service. So if you smell gas near your fireplace, the call is 911 and PG&E, not the city's energy program. Clean Energy covers the City of San Jose only, not Santa Clara, Sunnyvale or the other South Bay cities.

Power shutoffs can reach San Jose

San José Clean Energy notes that PG&E's transmission lines pass through elevated fire-threat areas around the city, so a PG&E Public Safety Power Shutoff could cut power across the South Bay, and it could last as long as seven days. An electric fireplace won't run during one, and a gas fireplace with electronic ignition or an electric blower may not either unless it has battery backup. Check your manual before fire season, and once the power is back, a tech can help by video if it still won't light.

Propane fireplace in the South Bay?

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. In California, 2% of homes heat mainly with propane (EIA, 2020).

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.

Electric fireplaces in South Bay homes

Plenty of South Bay fireplaces are electric, from wall-mounts in North San Jose and Santa Clara apartments to media-wall inserts in newer townhomes. We help with those by video too. The safe checks come first: plugged straight into a working wall outlet (no extension cord or power strip), the breaker or GFCI not tripped, fresh remote batteries, then the maker's reset after a cool-down if the overheat switch shut it off. After a power outage, check the breaker once the lights are back before deciding the unit is broken. We'll never ask you to open the unit or touch wiring. See electric fireplace won't turn on.

San Jose 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.
• Electric fireplace won't turn on: No power, no heat, or it shut itself off. The safe checks manufacturers list, in order.
• 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.
• Need a replacement part? Send us your model and serial, and a tech matches the exact gas, propane or electric fireplace part.

Common questions

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