Can I convert my gas fireplace back to wood-burning, and is it worth it versus keeping gas?
At nearly 2,650 feet, Waynesville is one of the towns where going back to wood can genuinely pay off — your heating season runs about three weeks longer than Asheville's and nights sit 10 to 15 degrees colder. If your gas logs are in an original Hazelwood masonry fireplace, wood is workable. Just don't restore an open firebox and expect heat; an EPA wood insert is what actually warms the room.
Cold enough that wood earns its keep
Waynesville leans on its hearths harder than the lower valley towns, and that changes the math. When the heating season is this long and this cold, the labor of wood — hauling, splitting, stacking — buys more warmth per season than it does down in Fletcher or Arden. But the drafty open fireplaces common in older Hazelwood homes are heat-losers; an open masonry firebox can run a net heat loss, pulling warm room air up the chimney. If you're converting for heat, the honest upgrade is a sealed EPA wood insert with a proper liner, not a restored open fire.
Which fireplace you own decides the job
Gas logs in an original masonry fireplace are the straightforward case — the set comes out, a licensed contractor caps the line, and the chimney gets inspected for wood service. A gas insert in old masonry is workable too, once the flue proves sound. But if a previous owner installed a direct-vent gas unit in a framed chase — common in Waynesville's newer builds — there's no wood fireplace to go back to, and 'conversion' means a full wood-rated rebuild with a Class A chimney.
Inspection first, Haywood permit pulled
Every path starts with a chimney inspection to confirm the flue can serve wood, and every gas-line change is permitted with Haywood County and pressure-tested. We're about 35 minutes west of our Asheville showroom, so scheduling the look-and-quote is simple. Call (828) 545-0525 and we'll tell you which of the three situations you're standing in.
Fireplace help in Waynesville
We install and service fireplaces throughout Waynesville and the rest of Haywood County — just 35 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?