Out in Leicester — rural, large-lot Buncombe County where many homes run propane and some remote properties have limited electrical capacity — yes, a gas fire pit stays outdoors all winter. The cold isn't the threat, even though Sandy Mush and Turkey Creek run 5 to 8 degrees colder than Asheville on clear nights. Frozen water in the burner is.
Remote lots, and how the pit lights
On Leicester's far-flung rural properties — some with limited electrical service — how a pit ignites matters. A moisture-corroded igniter is the classic spring failure everywhere, but it stings more when you're up a long driveway off Newfound Road and a no-light means a service trip. Keeping the igniter and burner dry under a fitted cover all winter is the cheapest insurance against that. Most pits out here run propane, so the tank comes off for long idle stretches.
Cold pools in these valleys
On clear winter nights, cold air drains down Leicester's rural valleys and settles 5 to 8 degrees below Asheville — Sandy Mush especially. That colder low means a harder, more reliable freeze on any water sitting in an open pit, and a longer idle season overall. It doesn't hurt a covered, drained pit one bit; it just punishes an uncovered one faster.
Licensed where it counts
Whether propane or gas main, the fuel connection is licensed work — the hardscaper who built your patio legally can't make it, but we can, permitted with Buncombe County. Cover it, drain it, and a built-in pit belongs outside year-round; tabletop units come in. We're 15 minutes west — (828) 545-0525.
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.