First time poster with non working Superior DVT5-CMS fireplace

[ossodiseppia]

Hi folks,

Please pardon my newbie post. I'm posting to get confirmation on my diagnosis only because there is gas involved and I don't want to kill myself or my dog. That said, here we go.

The fireplace is 21 years old and installed new when my home was built. Years ago, I started having trouble with the burner shutting off intermittently. It gave up the ghost a number of years ago and I elected to live with no fireplace until today.

It is a Superior DVT5-CMNS
The Gas Valve is a Robert Shaw 7000MVRLC which I understand is a 710-502

I have yet to test the thermocouple as I am waiting for alligator clips to arrive next week. I figure I should test that, just to make sure it is in good working order before I tear the thing apart to replace the gas valve.

With the pilot on, the thermopile reads about 480 mV. When I flip the switch to "turn on" the fireplace, the voltage drops about 30mV. So, I know it is at least in working order.

Using a crib sheet I found online, I went straight to the gas valve. I first measured TH/TP and TP. I got Infinity. Just for giggles, I measured TP and TH and got about 6-ish ohms. Based on these two readings, my cheat sheet says the gas valve is kaput.

Changing the valve looks pretty straight forward. I looks like I remove the gas line and a bunch of sheet metal screws. Once that's done, I pull the unit up and out, to make the swap. Here are my questions:

Should I replace the flexible gas line? I'm guessing, yes.

Can I use yellow Teflon tape or should I use some sort of pipe dope?

There appears to be some sort of insulation, sealant or something around the edges of the panel that the valve hangs from. I've also noticed some sort of hard stuff around the thermocouple/thermopile wiring and the pilot. I I elect to replace the pilot assembly, what should I use as a sealant.

Did I forget anything?

Thank you in advance for the help.

Brian

[kdean1]

Site rules prohibit giving advice for DIY. We recommend hiring a contractor for your safety instead of being cheap.

[ossodiseppia]

I don't recall using the word cheap or advice in my post. That's actually a pretty ugly thing to say to a first time poster I won't hire a contractor as I prefer to do the work myself. Thank you for the reply.

I'll go elsewhere for help.