Are big-box store propane fire tables any good compared to showroom or dealer-quality fire pits?
Around Mars Hill, most homes out toward Spring Creek and Gabriels Creek run propane or heat with wood — there's no gas main to tap. That doesn't mean settling for a tank stuffed into a big-box table's base. We can bury a permanent line to a dealer-quality pit, which in one of the colder spots we serve throws far more heat than a bargain burner.
Propane country, done permanently
No gas main doesn't mean a cylinder you drag out and refill. As a licensed gas contractor we bury a permanent, outdoor-rated LP line from your existing propane tank straight to a real pit — flame at the flip of a switch, no swapping bottles in the cold. A stainless dealer pit like the Napoleon we carry is built for exactly this kind of propane setup, and the connection is work a landscaper legally can't do.
Cold spot, real BTUs
Mars Hill runs colder than most of the towns we cover, so a small, low-output big-box burner underperforms fast on a genuinely cold evening. A dealer pit with a heavier burner and real BTU output actually keeps a group warm. The thin painted pan on a bargain table is the other weak point — it rusts through our freeze-thaw winters where heavier metal holds up.
The honest answer here
For a few nights a summer, the cheap table is fine and we'll tell you so. For a lasting outdoor centerpiece in propane-and-wood country, buy the quality pit and let us run the line. We permit and pressure-test the connection and meet your county inspector; we're about 30 minutes north. Call (828) 545-0525 or request a free assessment.
Fireplace help in Mars Hill
We install and service fireplaces throughout Mars Hill and the rest of Madison County — just 30 minutes north from our Asheville-area showroom.
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