Can I power my gas fireplace's ignition or blower with a portable generator or battery backup during an extended outage?
Around Mars Hill, rural Spring Creek and Gabriels Creek homes lean on propane or wood, while the university area wants easy-use gas. For an outage, propane and wood both work without the grid, a millivolt gas unit needs no electricity, and battery-backup ignition lights grid-down. Only the blower needs a generator.
Two Kinds of Household, Both Covered
Mars Hill really has two kinds of household, and they come at this from opposite directions. Out in the Spring Creek and Gabriels Creek valleys, homes already lean on propane or wood — both of which make heat with no help from the grid, so an outage barely registers. Closer to the university, the rentals want something easy: an electronic-ignition gas fireplace that lights at the flip of a switch. For those, the outage answer is the AA battery-backup pack behind the lower louver — it lets the unit fire when the power's out, no generator, no fuss, which is exactly what a busy academic-year household wants.
Wood Is the Total-Independence Option
If total grid independence is the goal, wood is the answer the rural valleys already know — a Regency wood fireplace or stove owes nothing to electricity and keeps heating no matter how long the lines are down. On the gas side, a millivolt unit gets you most of the way there with zero electricity too. The one electrical piece on any gas fireplace is the blower — a 120-volt fan that won't run in an outage, though the firebox radiates heat without it. A generator or inverter can drive the fan, kept outdoors and clear of windows for carbon-monoxide safety.
Colder Than It Looks, Madison Permit
Mars Hill sits at 2,350 feet and runs colder than a lot of people expect, so the heat you plan on had better not quit with the power. We set up propane, natural gas, or wood correctly, permit the work with Madison County, and meet the inspector. We're about 30 minutes north of the Asheville showroom. Call (828) 545-0525.
Fireplace help in Mars Hill
We install and service fireplaces throughout Mars Hill and the rest of Madison County — just 30 minutes north from our Asheville-area showroom.