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Electric Fireplace!
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Before and after project
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Review Highlights
“The ignition unit was corroded, and Gladys Caballero was patient in guiding me to find the unit model number.” in 42 reviews
“Efrain came out to my house shortly before the fireplace remodel was to begin and answered all my questions.” in 39 reviews
“Enrique, the primary installer, is an expert in all aspects of the installation and did a beautiful craftsman-like job.” in 15 reviews
About the Business
Business owner information
Efrain O.
Established in 2006. We opened our location back in 2006 and have been happy helping customers in the Bay Area update & upgrade their fireplace into something they love!
Location & Hours
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Amenities and More
Ask the Community
Q:
Do you install electric fireplace inserts?
A:
Yes, we sell & install fireplaces that we sell in our store.
Gladys C., Business ManagerQ:
Do we need a permit in Santa Clara County to get gas fireplaces installed? I already have a new gas fireplace that we bought. Gas line is close to where we need. Do you make necessary plumbing connections?
A:
You would need to contact a plumber to run the gas line connection for you.
Gladys C., Business Manager
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Recommended Reviews
Overall rating
151 reviews
5 stars
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1 star
- R M.San Francisco, CA09Aug 27, 2024
They recommended just the right product for our unique circumstances. Other pre-sales help and support was great.
On install day, everything went as planned. Professional installation people who cared about how our project came out, and about taking good care of our home.
Overall, very pleased... all promises kept and a quality product with a quality install job.
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Debbie B.San Jose, CA06722Jul 2, 2024We had a 30-year-old insert that needed to be replaced, but unfortunately, when it was removed there was a huge hole left in the stone... So Sean at Penguin had a great idea to create a hearth. I worked with an outside vendor to mill a piece of Absolute Black granite to size. It slid perfectly into place and looks like it's part of the insert itself. We could not be happier with the final result. Sean, and his whole team, have been an absolute pleasure to work with during this entire project - highly recommend!!
Helpful 1Thanks 1Love this 1Oh no 0- Salsa B.San Jose, CA012Jul 13, 2024
Starting a fireplace remodel with Penguin. Includes fireplace refacing and side cabinets as well as coordinating with
home AV installion.I will post my review on completionHelpful 0Thanks 1Love this 0Oh no 0 - Molly C.Morgan Hill, CA3632Jan 15, 2024
We had a wonderful experience working with Gladys at Penguin Fireplace! She was extremely responsive to all of our questions and concerns. The installers were punctual and very competent. Enrique, the primary installer, is an expert in all aspects of the installation and did a beautiful craftsman-like job. We are loving the looks and especially the warmth that our new fireplace insert provides.
Thank you, Penguin!!
Helpful 0Thanks 0Love this 0Oh no 0 - Sheba S S.Willow Glen, San Jose, CA04Apr 18, 2024
Penguin Fireplace provides a quality product and exemplary service. I purchased a Regency electric fireplace to replace a gas fireplace. Once the existing fireplace was removed, there were some unexpected challenges that the company overcame with amazing teamwork. I was impressed that the owner even assisted. Every concern was addressed and handled to my satisfaction, even sending out one of the team to assist with installing the app on my phone and general operation of the unit.
I love this fireplace and think it will add great value to my home.Helpful 1Thanks 0Love this 0Oh no 0 - Ken Z.Sunnyvale, CA05Feb 19, 2024
We have been warm and cozy all winter thanks to Penguin Fireplace.
The staff was so helpful when we visited and helped us pick out the best fireplace unit for our space. We purchased the Modern Flames electric fireplace insert.
When the insert arrived, it was installed by Efrain, the owner of the company, and Charles. They were fast and did a beautiful job, cleaning up the old gas line to our existing gas log set, and sealing the chimney flue. We didn't need them anymore because our beautiful electric insert was clean, efficient, and without any combustion needs.
The customer service we received has been the best from start to finish. No request or question was too much for Penguin.
Thank you PenguinHelpful 0Thanks 0Love this 0Oh no 0 - Martin B.San Jose, CA011Jan 16, 2024
Great service from Penguin today servicing our gas fireplace unit and getting it back up and running. The tech showed up early in the two hour window, assessed the issue at hand, and was able to resolve it quickly. He was friendly, polite, and knowledgeable.
Highly recommended.Helpful 0Thanks 0Love this 0Oh no 0 - Nada F.Castro Valley, CA25416Apr 5, 2024
Quick ability to book appointment. Arrived in window of time given. Quick, clean and knowledgeable service. Pleasant service person. Service call was $250 which included correcting the issue with the pilot light.
Helpful 0Thanks 0Love this 0Oh no 0 - Jeremy H.San Jose, CA0131Nov 20, 2023Updated review
UPDATED REVIEW, as of 11/20/23
I've had semi-frequent problems with my Valor G4 fireplace, in the 7 years since it was installed. My problems always occur at the start of winter, when trying to ignite the pilot flame. The recurring theme seems to be thermocouple failure, which is the device that detects the pilot light and allows gas to continue flowing after ignition. The response from Efrain and his team at Penguin Fireplace has been very good, with 3-4 service visits since my purchase/installation in 2016. They have worked effectively with the manufacturer (Valor) for warranty coverage of the parts, beyond the standard coverage period.
I have experienced recent problems again, when trying to ignite the pilot at the start of winter. One issue was due to a fragile (broken) wire in the remote control, which I diagnosed and fixed myself. I also needed to have the thermocouple replaced (again), and they were very responsive and my fireplace is working again.
The one question that lacks clarity is why my fireplace continues to have recurring issues every few years. The answer to this has been elusive, but Penguin Fireplace has made good efforts to seek this answer from the manufacturer, so far to no avail.
I'm giving Penguin Fireplace 4 stars, primarily for the responsiveness and how most of the cost (of parts) has been covered under warranty. The bulk of my dissatisfaction can be traced to the fireplace itself, primarily in the reliability (complexity) of the design and less-than-stellar user interface/diagnostics. If I was to independently rate the product, it would be 2-3 stars.Helpful 1Thanks 0Love this 0Oh no 0Business owner information
Gladys C.
Oct 30, 2023
Hello Jeremy,
My name is Charles, and I am the service manager and lead installer for Penguin Fireplace Inc. It was brought to my attention that you left a 2-star review for our company as well as the Valor brand and I would like to touch on a couple of things with you, but first let me say this, Penguin Fireplace and Valor both are more than happy to assist you with any of your fireplace concerns.
In your review on Yelp, you mentioned that "an annual service subscription" should not be necessary" and I would agree that annual service should not be "required" on any gas fireplace however, ALL gas fireplace manufacturers do stipulate in the owners/installation manual that it is recommended to ensure proper function to have annual maintenance performed. This is critical because of the fact that you are dealing with electrical and gas components as well as high heat, and nature (such as spiders). I would think of it like having basic maintenance on your vehicle.
A few things in regard to maintaining your fireplace:
1.) your fireplace operated off batteries (as you know) and must be replaced annually
2.) combustion of natural gas, propane, wood etc. create sooting, and that sooting should be cleaned to ensure the fireplace is clean
3.) Spiders are attracted to the scent of stagnate fuel such as Natural gas and Liquid Propane, so during periods of non-use, spiders will make their way down the venting and create webs inside pilot orifices preventing ignition to be achieved. One good way of preventing the spiders from doing so would be to keep the pilot light on or turn the fireplace on once a month or so in the summer for just a few minutes. This goes for all brands and models, even outdoor BBQ's have this type of thing happen.
You mention that your pilot light will now light, then turn off after about 10 seconds, this can be an indicator of a bad thermocouple or incorrect voltage from the batteries. Just like a water heater or many other gas appliances, thermocouples and thermopiles go out after time depending on frequency of use.
Another mention is that your remote control is now dead, even after replacing the 9V battery. This can be replaced, I cannot speculate as to why the screen went out, I have only experienced this with remote controls if they have been left in the sun or dropped/stepped on or something to that effect.
It seems as though Penguin Fireplace has performed a total of 3 service calls for you since your purchase in 2016, and they go as follows.
1.) November 4th, 2019: We replaced a pilot assembly for you, to which you paid $80, and we waved the Labor fee for you.
2.) November 20th, 2020: We came out for a service call to which you paid $195 for, and we warrantied the burner and pilot assembly through Valor.
3.) December 20th, 2020: we returned to replace the parts under warranty, and you paid us $185 for the labor to install only.
I want to let you know that this is quite odd that a Valor fireplace would be so problematic and it's very rare this kind of thing occurs with the Valor brand, and I do not think it would not be good business practice to sell a knowingly problematic fireplace to our customers, so we choose to sell and recommend high quality products just like the one you own. We have contacted our Valor Rep about your fireplace and this situation, and we would like to resolve this with you. I see no service calls in our system that have been performed since we were last out there in 2020 so if you would like to have us come back out for you, Valor has agreed to warranty parts for you after we go verify what the issue(s) are with all of this.
One thing I would like for you to understand is that Penguin Fireplace is its own company and Valor is its own company. Valor is backing up its product/parts, but they do not pay us anything for the labor. We stand behind the products we sell and can work with you on the cost to have one of our techs come out, or possibly even the owner of our company.
If you can, please send me current pictures of the fireplace and remote control so I can have them on record before we go out if you agree to the terms.
I will be speaking with the owner of Penguin Fireplace to see what he can do in terms of pricing for what we will need to do.
Thank you for your time,
CharlesOct 18, 2023Previous reviewValor/Penguin Fireplace review
This is more of a review of my Valor G4 gas fireplace, but it was sold to me by Penguin Fireplace. So this review may be helpful if you're thinking of buying the same from this retailer.
Since my fireplace was installed several years ago, it's given me trouble in different ways. Within the first few years, I had trouble igniting the pilot light when winter started. A couple service calls revealed a crack in the ceramic base, which may have contributed to the igniter/sensor getting melted the previous winter. Parts were replaced under warranty, and I paid for some (most?) of the labor. For these service visits, they were helpful and responsive.
However, in the years since then, I always have trouble getting it to ignite at the start of each winter. The exact reason is unknown, and calls to Penguin Fireplace always yield a recommendation for an annual service visit, for nearly $200, to clean out spider webs, dust or other debris that may be inhibiting proper ignition. I see other reviews where customers eagerly pay this. From my perspective, owning a gas fireplace should not require an annual subscription for a maintenance visit just to keep it working properly. I have usually been able to get it ignited, after several attempts and/or replacing the 4x AA batteries for the igniter. But the strange thing is that the pilot light does ignite, but turns off after 10 seconds for some reason. I can only assume there is some safety mechanism that is overriding the next step (ignite the main burner), and turns off the pilot for some reason. It's strange. I'm a seasoned engineer with experience diagnosing various technical problems, and can tell you that the design of this fireplace is not immediately intuitive when trying to reverse engineer this problem. A good design is a simple product with reliable and maintenance free operation.
The latest problem I am having now is the remote is non functional, even after replacing with a fresh battery. The display is completely off, so it seems something in the remote has died. Online prices for a new remote are ~$100, which is another cost I would need to accept just to potentially get this fireplace working again. Do I call Penguin Fireplace for yet another problem?
Ultimately, I am very disappointed in the poor reliability of this fireplace, due to the complexity of the igniter design and dependency on the remote control. I've owned gas fireplaces in the past, which were much simpler operation via an on/off switch on the wall. Starting the pilot light should be simple, and not such be such a difficult chore. And it wasn't with my past experiences on more reliable products.
I'd have to say I'm associating this review with Penguin Fireplace for two reasons:
1. The product they are selling is too complex and unreliable, with no obvious consideration of how this product complexity is contributing to my dissatisfaction. Perhaps complex fireplaces with troublesome safety sub-systems is the norm now.
2. Their recommendation to have an annual $200 service visit doesn't sit well with me, as that shouldn't be required for proper operation. Nor was the cost or forecasting of this visit ever discussed up-front, to my recollection. But since I have been able to get my unit igniting without it, I deem it to be an unnecessary expense.
I recall my original purchase decision had the option of buying from Penguin, or a "mobile" installer that doesn't have a showroom/store. I chose Penguin, believing this option should provide better service/accountability after the sale. In some ways, that may have proven to be true, but the end result is I now have an overly complex fireplace that is finicky and unreliable. How much more money should I spend on this fireplace, or just give up? Given I paid several thousand dollars (including installation) for what should be a top-quality fireplace, I am dissatisfied with the product reliability and overall experience with this fireplace. - Elaine S.Milpitas, CA1517Jan 10, 2023
Penguin Fireplace has done an excellent job servicing my fireplace. The ignition unit was corroded, and Gladys Caballero was patient in guiding me to find the unit model number. The part was ordered, and Ben arrived today to install the new ignition and conduct basic maintenance on the fireplace. I am enjoying a cozy fire as I write this and giving thanks to Gladys and Ben. Thanks, Penguin Fireplace!
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