- Most gas fireplaces adjust the pilot flame with either a small screw near the pilot assembly or a “high/low” button on the unit or remote — check your manual to know which your model uses.
- The common convention is clockwise to lower the flame, counterclockwise to raise it, though this can vary by manufacturer — adjust in small increments and watch the flame rather than assuming direction.
- A steady blue flame with a small yellow tip is normal. A flame that’s mostly yellow or orange, or one that’s noticeably too small or too large, is the actual sign something needs adjusting.
- If adjustment doesn’t fix a persistently weak, wrong-colored, or unstable flame, that’s a sign to call a qualified gas technician rather than keep troubleshooting.
A pilot light is what lets a gas fireplace ignite without relying on household electricity, which is exactly why it’s useful during a power outage — as long as the gas supply itself is on, the fireplace can still light and run. The pilot flame does double duty: it’s ready to ignite the main burner, and it continuously heats a small thermocouple (or thermopile) that generates the tiny electrical signal keeping the gas valve open.
Occasionally the pilot flame needs adjusting — too weak and it may not reliably light the main burner or stay lit itself; too aggressive or the wrong color and something else is likely going on with the pilot assembly.
What a Healthy Pilot Flame Looks Like
A properly adjusted pilot flame burns a steady blue, generally covering about half an inch of the thermocouple or thermopile probe, and it’s normal for the very tip to show a touch of yellow. What you’re watching for is a flame that’s predominantly yellow or orange, unusually small, or flickering unstably — those point to a real problem, most often a dirty or partially blocked pilot assembly, rather than something you fix by adjustment alone. If cleaning is the actual issue, see our guide on cleaning a gas fireplace thermocouple.
Adjusting the Pilot Flame
How you adjust it depends on what your specific fireplace has:
Remote control
Some models let you adjust the pilot flame with the same up/down buttons used for the main flame. Turn the pilot on, then press and hold the adjustment button while watching the flame until it reaches a steady blue.
Similar idea to the remote — turn on the pilot, then use the button on the unit itself to raise or lower the flame while watching its color and size.
Adjustment screw
Many pilot assemblies use a small screw you turn with a flathead screwdriver. The common convention is clockwise to reduce the flame and counterclockwise to increase it, though this isn’t universal across every manufacturer — turn it gently in small increments and watch which direction actually helps rather than assuming. Stop adjusting once the flame settles into a steady blue at a reasonable size.
Pilot Flame vs. Main Burner Flame
It’s worth being clear about the difference: the steps above adjust the small standing pilot flame specifically. The main burner — the flame that actually heats the room once the fireplace is running — is typically controlled separately, either by its own gas control valve (often marked with Off/Pilot/On settings and a separate flame-height dial) or by remote. If your goal is turning down how much heat the fireplace puts out while it’s running, that’s a main burner adjustment, not a pilot adjustment, and the control is usually a different knob or button than the one used for the pilot. Check your owner’s manual for exactly where that control is on your specific model — placement and labeling vary enough between manufacturers that a generic description risks sending you to the wrong knob.
If the Pilot Won’t Stay Lit
An occasional pilot outage isn’t unusual, and relighting it is normally straightforward: turn the control knob to the pilot position, press it in, and hold an ignition source to the pilot until it catches, then hold the knob in for the time specified in your manual (commonly under a minute) before releasing it.
If the pilot keeps going out repeatedly even after relighting, or won’t hold a flame at all, that points to something beyond a simple relight — commonly a dirty or failing thermocouple, a partially blocked pilot orifice, or a gas supply issue. At that point, it’s a reasonable moment to call a qualified gas fireplace technician rather than keep repeating the same fix, especially if you smell gas at any point — in that case, stop entirely, don’t attempt to relight anything, and contact your gas utility or a technician immediately.
The Bottom Line
Know which adjustment mechanism your gas fireplace actually has before you start, adjust in small increments while watching the flame rather than guessing at a full turn, and treat a mostly-blue flame with a hint of yellow at the tip as the normal target — not a flame that’s entirely, perfectly blue. If adjustment alone doesn’t get you there, that’s your cue to move on to cleaning or professional service rather than continuing to fiddle with the same screw.
Hi, my name’s Eugene Duke and I love sitting by my fireplace reading a book and sipping on an adult beverage. Do you have a fireplace in your house? I’ll help you figure out the best type and style of fireplace for your home.