Can I power my gas fireplace's ignition or blower with a portable generator or battery backup during an extended outage?
In Clyde, a lot of the 1960s-80s ranch homes have a dated fireplace that's a good candidate for an insert — and an insert conversion lets you build in outage heat. Pick a millivolt insert that needs no electricity, or electronic with battery backup that lights grid-down. Only the blower needs a generator.
A Dated Ranch Fireplace, Upgraded
Clyde is full of 1960s-to-80s ranch-style homes, and a lot of them have a dated original fireplace that's honestly ready for an upgrade. That upgrade — a sealed gas insert dropped into the existing opening with a proper liner — is also the ideal moment to build in outage heat, because you get to choose the ignition from scratch. A millivolt insert needs zero electricity: it lights off its own pilot current and heats right through any outage. An electronic-ignition insert does the same as long as it has the AA battery-backup pack behind the lower louver, which lights it with the grid down. Either turns a tired ranch fireplace into dependable, power-optional heat.
River Humidity and Your Damper
Clyde shares the cold-air drainage that settles over Canton and Waynesville, and the river humidity down here rusts dampers and degrades masonry chimneys faster than most homeowners realize. A corroded damper or a crumbling flue is a poor thing to depend on in an outage — another reason a sealed insert, running on its own liner, is the smart move. Its blower is a 120-volt fan that won't run without power, but the insert radiates heat with or without it. If you want the fan during a long outage, a generator or inverter runs it, kept outdoors and away from windows for carbon-monoxide safety.
Haywood Permit, 25 Minutes West
Clyde's fuel runs both ways — natural gas in parts of town, propane out toward the ridges — and we set up either correctly, permitting the line with Haywood County and meeting the inspector. We're about 25 minutes west, so we come stocked with the common parts to finish in one visit. Call (828) 545-0525 to talk through an insert.
Fireplace help in Clyde
We install and service fireplaces throughout Clyde and the rest of Haywood County — just 25 minutes west from our Asheville-area showroom.