What Color is Your Service Flame?

It’s that time of year when fireplace pilot lights get lit. And, the gas logs in the den at my river house needed readying for the winter. It can get cold in the mountains of North Georgia. But, the pilot light would light, but not stay lit. So, I called my local fireplace guy to get his advice.

“What color is the flame?” he asked. I thought about the sheer provocative symbolism behind the question. “If it has a red flame and burns like a match, your pilot light is worn out and will need to be...