Can I sit near a burning fireplace in a showroom to test whether the smell bothers me before buying?
Yes, and for a rural Leicester property the useful test is the fuel and heat source you actually use — often propane or wood out here rather than a gas main. Come sit in front of a live burn at 629 Emma Rd, 15 minutes east in Asheville. Call (828) 545-0525 first and tell us your fuel so we light the right setup.
Propane, wood, and testing the real thing
Leicester's large rural lots up Sandy Mush, Turkey Creek, and Newfound Road mostly run on propane, and wood heat is popular here too. So a natural-gas showroom demo would only tell you part of the story. If you're on propane, we'll light an LP-configured unit — burner matched to the fuel by a licensed installer, which is what keeps it clean — and if you're weighing wood, we'll fire a wood unit so you can smell the honest difference. Judge both for yourself before you commit; that's the entire reason we keep real fireplaces burning.
Cold hollows and homes with limited power
Cold-air drainage runs Leicester's rural valleys 5 to 8 degrees colder than Asheville on a clear winter night, so heat matters, and some remote properties out here have limited electrical capacity. That points toward a fireplace that doesn't lean on the grid — a millivolt gas unit like a Valor runs on no electricity at all, throwing radiant heat even in an outage, and wood is total grid independence. None of that adds odor in normal running, and you can confirm it in the showroom. We permit gas work with Buncombe County and pressure-test the line. Call (828) 545-0525 or visit weekdays 8 to 5.
Fireplace help in Leicester
We install and service fireplaces throughout Leicester and the rest of Buncombe County — just 15 minutes west from our Asheville-area showroom.
Related questions
- Is there a good fireplace option for people with chemical or smell sensitivities?
- Is the smell from a brand-new gas fireplace normal, and how long does it last?
- Does a propane fireplace smell more than a natural gas one?
- Do vented gas logs normally have a slight smell?
- Why does my gas fireplace smell when it's running?