Can I convert my gas fireplace back to wood-burning, and is it worth it versus keeping gas?
Leicester is wood-heat country already, so going back to wood fits right in. Many homes out here run on propane and burn wood by choice, with land to cut it from. If your gas logs sit in an original masonry firebox, converting back is natural — and on the remote properties with limited electrical service, wood's total independence from power is a genuine advantage over even a gas blower.
Where wood never really left
Out on Leicester's large rural lots — Sandy Mush, Turkey Creek, up Newfound Road — wood heat has always been popular, and plenty of homes run on propane rather than a gas main. That's a setting where returning a masonry fireplace to wood makes obvious sense: the firewood's often on your own land, and you're trading propane refills for splitting you may already be doing. Cold-air drainage runs these valleys 5 to 8 degrees colder than Asheville on clear winter nights, so real, steady heat isn't a luxury here — it's how the house stays comfortable.
When the power's iffy, wood wins outright
Some of the more remote Leicester properties have limited electrical capacity, and that quietly tips the scale toward wood. A gas fireplace with a blower wants power to move its heat; a wood stove or open fire needs none at all — heat you own outright, no pilot, no circuit, no pipeline. Wood is the gold standard for grid independence, and up these hollows the grid isn't always a given. An EPA wood insert heats the room far better than an open firebox that loses most of its warmth up the flue, so if you're converting for heat, go sealed.
Confirm the type, pull the Buncombe permit
First we identify what you own — gas logs in masonry convert, a framed-chase gas unit can't. Then any gas-line cap is permitted with Buncombe County, pressure-tested, and inspected; capping a live line is licensed work, not a DIY job. Leicester's 15 minutes west of the showroom. Call (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.
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?