Can a gas fire pit stay outside all winter?
Yes — a properly built gas fire pit stays outside all winter in Black Mountain, and the Swannanoa Valley's habit of running 10 to 15 degrees colder than Asheville on inverted mornings won't hurt it. What hurts it is moisture, and this is a damp, shaded pocket. Between Montreat's wooded lots and late-spring frosts, keep it covered and draining longer than you'd guess.
Cold pools, and so does damp
On clear nights the valley traps cold air and drops Black Mountain and Montreat well below the ridgetops. Those same heavily wooded, shaded lots that keep houses cool also keep patios from drying out — dew and snowmelt linger where the sun never quite reaches. A pit sitting in that lingering moisture is a pit collecting the water that freezes and rusts it. Shade is comfort in July and a liability for bare metal in January.
Don't uncover on the first warm week
Frost dates run later into spring here than in Asheville proper, so the temptation to pull the cover during a mild March stretch is a trap — one more hard freeze is almost always coming. Leave the fitted cover on, the natural-gas valve closed, and the burner draining until the valley truly warms. Fifteen minutes east of our showroom, we can time a spring startup for you.
One licensed company, start to finish
The gas line feeding your pit is licensed work permitted with Buncombe County — not something the crew who poured your patio can legally connect. We run it, pressure-test it, and can service the pit each season. Built-in pits winter over fine; tabletop units come indoors. Call (828) 545-0525.
Fireplace help in Black Mountain
We install and service fireplaces throughout Black Mountain and the rest of Buncombe County — just 15 minutes east from our Asheville-area showroom.