Can I add a safety screen to an older gas fireplace that didn't come with one?
Yes — in almost every case. Most manufacturers sell retrofit barrier screens for models going back well before the 2015 rule, and where a factory kit no longer exists, a properly fitted aftermarket mesh or a freestanding hearth screen solves the same problem. Bring us your model number or call (828) 545-0525 and we'll match one — a quick, inexpensive fix for a real hazard.
Start with the model number
When barrier screens became mandatory on new glass-front units in 2015, the major manufacturers also released retrofit kits for the enormous number of fireplaces already in living rooms — and we install plenty of those kits in older Asheville and Hendersonville homes, where a 1990s or 2000s-era gas fireplace is still running strong. The factory kit is the best answer because it's engineered for your exact front: correct standoff distance, correct attachment points, no rattle. You'll find the model and serial number on a rating plate, usually behind the lower louver or grille or inside the valve compartment. Snap a photo of it and we can usually tell you within a day what's available.
When there's no factory kit left
Some units are old enough, or their manufacturers gone enough, that no factory screen exists. You still have good options. Universal aftermarket barrier screens can be fitted to many fronts, and a quality freestanding hearth screen — the kind that stands on the hearth in front of the whole opening — does the same core job of keeping hands off the glass. The freestanding route is also the right call for renters who can't modify the appliance. The tradeoff is that a freestanding screen can be moved or knocked aside, so with a determined toddler in the house we'd pair it with a hearth gate that anchors in place.
Worth pairing with a checkup
If your fireplace predates 2015, it has likely gone years — sometimes decades — since anyone qualified looked it over. While we're there fitting a screen, it's the natural moment for an inspection: glass gasket condition, burner and pilot health, venting, and the safety systems you can't see from the couch. Annual service is standard on gas fireplaces anyway, ideally late summer or early fall before you're depending on it. One visit, and the fireplace is both safer to touch and safer to run.
Related questions
- Why do newer gas fireplaces have a mesh safety screen in front of the glass?
- Are older gas fireplaces without a safety barrier screen still safe to use?
- How hot does gas fireplace glass get, and can it burn you?
- How do I childproof a gas fireplace?
- What kind of safety gate or barrier works best around a fireplace hearth?
- Can a gas fireplace cause carbon monoxide poisoning?
Still deciding? Talk to a real installer.
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