Can I convert my gas fireplace back to wood-burning, and is it worth it versus keeping gas?
In Asheville it comes down to your neighborhood. A Montford or North Asheville home with an original masonry firebox and gas logs can usually go back to wood — pull the set, cap the line, pass a chimney inspection. But a clean-face gas unit in a newer South Asheville build was framed for gas only, and 'back to wood' there means a full replacement, not a swap.
Montford masonry vs. South Asheville framing
The city's fireplace history splits along its own timeline. Montford, North Asheville, and the older streets around Grove Park were built with real masonry chimneys, so a gas log set there is sitting in a firebox that already burned wood — the bones for a return are there, pending an inspection of the flue and damper. Newer South Asheville and West Asheville infill construction leans on sealed direct-vent gas in a wood-framed chase; those were never wood fireplaces and can't become one without demolition and a new Class A chimney. Which house you own decides whether this is a Tuesday or a project.
Is going back worth it here?
Asheville sits on natural-gas mains, so keeping gas means cheap, flip-a-switch heat with nothing to haul — and after the multi-day Helene outages, plenty of neighbors added battery-backup ignition so that gas keeps throwing heat when the grid drops. Wood is still the gold standard for outage independence, and an EPA wood insert actually heats where an open 2,100-foot firebox mostly loses warmth up the chimney. The honest split we see most: keep the convenient gas fireplace, add a wood stove in the basement or den for the nights the power's out.
Right down the road on Emma Road
Our showroom at 629 Emma Rd is minutes from most of the city, so this is an easy in-person conversation — come stand in front of wood and gas burning side by side. Whatever you choose, capping or moving a gas line is licensed work in North Carolina: we pull the Buncombe County permit, pressure-test the line, and meet the inspector. Call (828) 545-0525 and we'll tell you which of the three fireplaces you actually own.
Fireplace help in Asheville
We install and service fireplaces throughout Asheville and the rest of Buncombe County — we're headquartered right here.
Related questions
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