Can I convert my gas fireplace back to wood-burning, and is it worth it versus keeping gas?
In Candler, two things shape the answer: your fireplace is probably a decorative builder-grade box that never burned wood, and Hominy Valley's air sits in a bowl. New-subdivision gas fireboxes usually can't convert to wood without a full rebuild — and the valley's air quality is a real reason to favor clean sealed appliances over open wood smoke. If you own older masonry, wood's more feasible.
New decorative fireboxes rarely go back to wood
Candler is one of Asheville's fastest-growing suburbs, and its new subdivisions came with basic decorative builder-grade fireboxes — units built to look good on a gas flame, not to burn wood. Owners often want a real heat-producing upgrade within a few years, but 'back to wood' assumes there was wood to go back to, and in most of these framed-chase gas units there wasn't. Returning to wood there is a wood-rated rebuild with a Class A chimney, not a log-set swap. The older masonry homes scattered through the area are the exception where a true conversion is on the table.
The Hominy Valley air-quality angle
There's a local reason to think twice about open wood here. Hominy Valley sits in a natural bowl that holds air, which is exactly why clean-burning sealed appliances are the smart pick for the neighborhood. An open wood fire is the smokiest option; a sealed EPA wood insert burns far cleaner and actually heats, and a sealed gas unit is cleaner still. If your goal is real, efficient heat without adding smoke to a valley that already traps it, the insert — wood or gas — beats an open firebox on every count.
Fuel, and the licensed line
Natural gas serves the developed Enka-Candler side, while some rural properties out toward Pisgah Highway run propane — which side you're on changes what 'keeping gas' costs. Either way, capping or extending a gas line is permitted with Buncombe County and pressure-tested. We're 15 minutes west of the showroom. Call (828) 545-0525.
Fireplace help in Candler
We install and service fireplaces throughout Candler and the rest of Buncombe County — just 15 minutes west from our Asheville-area showroom.
Related questions
- Should I get a gas fireplace or a wood-burning fireplace?
- Which fireplace still works during a power outage — gas, wood, or electric?
- Should I install gas logs or keep burning real wood in my fireplace?
- Is it cheaper to heat your house with wood or with gas?
- Which requires more maintenance, a gas fireplace or a wood-burning fireplace?