Can I sit near a burning fireplace in a showroom to test whether the smell bothers me before buying?
Yes, and for a Waynesville home it's worth the trip. At nearly 2,650 feet with a heating season that runs weeks longer than Asheville's, draft behaves differently up here — which changes how a fireplace smells on startup. Come sit in front of a live burn at 629 Emma Rd, 35 minutes east. Call (828) 545-0525 first.
Elevation is why your old firebox smells
Many of the drafty open fireplaces in Hazelwood and around downtown Waynesville share one problem: at this elevation, a cold flue fills with heavy, cold air that sits like a plug, and until a fire pushes past it, smoke and combustion smell can spill back into the room. That isn't the fuel misbehaving — it's physics working against an open chimney on a cold Haywood morning. A sealed direct-vent unit ignores all of it, drawing combustion air and venting exhaust through its own closed pipe. In the showroom you'll notice that difference immediately.
Match the burn to your fuel
Waynesville runs on both natural gas and propane depending on where you are, so tell us which serves your house when you call. If you're on propane — common once you're up the ridges — we'll set up and light a propane-configured unit, because a licensed installer sizes the orifices and pressure to the fuel, and a correctly configured burner is what keeps it clean instead of sooting. We'll light two or three options together — vented logs, a sealed direct-vent, maybe a wood unit for a house that leans on its hearth all winter — so your own reaction picks the winner. Call (828) 545-0525; we're open weekdays 8 to 5.
Fireplace help in Waynesville
We install and service fireplaces throughout Waynesville and the rest of Haywood County — just 35 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?