Are gas fire pits worth it compared to wood-burning fire pits?
For Leicester, it's a real contest — this is rural, wood-heat country where a lot of folks already cut and burn, so a wood pit isn't the hassle it'd be in town. Still, propane gas wins on ease for most: instant light, no hauling on a cold night, and no electricity needed on properties where the grid runs thin.
Wood Heat Is a Way of Life Here
Leicester leans rural — big lots out Sandy Mush and Turkey Creek where wood heat is common and firewood is often already split and stacked. If you're the kind who cuts your own, a wood fire pit genuinely costs less to feed, and we install wood and smokeless-wood pits for exactly that homeowner. So the honest answer here isn't automatic.
But even where wood is free, gas wins the tired nights. Cold-air drainage runs these valleys 5 to 8 degrees under Asheville on clear winter nights, and the pit that gets lit on a cold evening is the one that takes five seconds, not a fire you have to build.
Propane, and No Grid Required
Most of Leicester runs on propane rather than a gas main, so a pit here ties into a tank or a line we set for it. That's actually a plus on remote properties where electrical capacity is limited — a gas fire pit lights and burns without drawing on the grid, so a strained panel or a power blip doesn't touch it. We size the burner and orifice to the propane, since it burns hotter per unit than natural gas.
The outdoor line is licensed work, permitted with Buncombe County and pressure-tested. A landscaper legally can't connect the fuel in North Carolina. Call (828) 545-0525 and we'll help you weigh wood against gas honestly.
Fireplace help in Leicester
We install and service fireplaces throughout Leicester and the rest of Buncombe County — just 15 minutes west from our Asheville-area showroom.