Can I sit near a burning fireplace in a showroom to test whether the smell bothers me before buying?
Yes, and for an Arden home the smell test doubles as an insert test. Those 1980s-90s open masonry fireplaces in Royal Pines and Skyland tend to be drafty, and a drafty firebox is where stray odor sneaks back into the room. A sealed insert fixes it. Come test one at 629 Emma Rd, 15 minutes north. Call (828) 545-0525 first.
Tired open fireboxes, and what they let in
The open masonry fireplaces built into Arden's Royal Pines and Skyland homes in the '80s and '90s are usually pulling heat straight out of the room — and a firebox that's losing warmth up an open flue can just as easily let a faint combustion smell drift back in on a slow-drafting day. A sealed insert changes the whole equation: it seals the combustion behind glass and vents through its own liner, so it becomes a real heater and stops breathing odor into your living room. That's the upgrade most Arden homeowners are actually after.
Trust your own senses
The point of coming in is to sit in front of a running insert and confirm, for yourself, that a sealed unit puts essentially nothing into the room air — then compare it against a vented gas set with its tall ambiance flame so you can weigh look against smell. Arden is on the natural-gas mains, so the unit we light burns your exact fuel. We permit every gas install with Buncombe County and pressure-test the line, because connecting fuel is licensed work. No pressure and no upselling — we'd rather match you to the right fireplace than the priciest one. Call (828) 545-0525 or come by weekdays 8 to 5.
Fireplace help in Arden
We install and service fireplaces throughout Arden and the rest of Buncombe County — just 15 minutes south from our Asheville-area showroom.
Related questions
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