Can I convert my wood-burning fireplace to gas?
Yes — and in Swannanoa a lot of these conversions are happening inside homes being rebuilt or renovated after the storm. As the valley recovers, we are adding fireplaces and stoves to rebuilt houses and converting the tired original masonry fireboxes in Grovemont's 1940s-to-60s homes. Natural gas serves much of Swannanoa, so most of these run on the gas line.
Building it back with real backup heat
The rebuilding underway across Swannanoa has changed what people want from a fireplace. After the storm knocked out power and central heat quit with it, homeowners here are rebuilding with a hearth that works when the grid is down — not an afterthought. A sealed gas insert with millivolt or battery-backup ignition keeps throwing heat with no electricity, so the next outage does not mean a cold house. For a lot of Bee Tree and Owen-area families, that power-optional heat is the whole reason for converting, and it fits neatly into a renovation already in progress.
Grovemont's mid-century fireboxes
Grovemont's 1940s-to-60s homes were built with original masonry fireboxes that are inefficient by today's standard and, left open, can lose net heat. This is also a river valley where fog, cold-air pooling, and damp air work steadily on masonry chimneys — rusting dampers, degrading liners. Converting to a sealed Napoleon insert with a fresh stainless liner solves both problems at once: the sealed unit is not fighting a corroded, cold flue, and it turns a mid-century heat leak into a genuine heater.
Licensed line, Buncombe permit
We bring the gas line to the firebox — licensed work a rebuild contractor legally cannot do — and permit it with Buncombe County, meeting the inspector, which also keeps the finished work clean for insurance. Swannanoa is 15 minutes east of us. Call (828) 545-0525 for a free assessment.
Fireplace help in Swannanoa
We install and service fireplaces throughout Swannanoa and the rest of Buncombe County — just 15 minutes east from our Asheville-area showroom.