Do I need a chimney inspection before installing an insert?
Yes — every insert we set in Asheville starts with a chimney inspection, gas or wood. Montford and North Asheville are full of pre-war masonry chimneys, while West and South Asheville's newer prefab fireboxes hide their own surprises. Because we're headquartered on Emma Road, we can usually get a technician to your flue within a day or two.
Two kinds of Asheville chimney, two kinds of scope
Montford, Grove Park, and North Asheville are full of original masonry chimneys built for big open wood fires — clay-tile flues, often oversized for a modern sealed insert and stressed by decades of freeze-thaw at 2,134 feet. We camera-scope those to confirm the tile is intact and to size a stainless liner. West and South Asheville's newer construction is a different story: many homes have a factory-built prefab box and metal chase, and you can't drop a masonry-style liner into one. There the scope checks the firebox, chase, and clearances instead. Same question, very different answer, and only a look tells us which.
Down the road from your fireplace
Because our showroom and crew sit at 629 Emma Rd, an Asheville inspection rarely has to wait. We scope the flue, tell you exactly what liner and prep the insert needs, then pull the Buncombe County permit and meet the inspector. Nighttime lows here sit in the 20s well into early spring, so most homeowners want the fireplace working before the next cold stretch — and on a chimney that checks out clean, we can often move straight to sizing and setting the insert in a single day.
Fireplace help in Asheville
We install and service fireplaces throughout Asheville and the rest of Buncombe County — we're headquartered right here.
Related questions
- My chimney is damaged — can I still install a gas insert?
- Does a wood-burning insert require a full stainless steel liner to the top of the chimney?
- Can a gas insert be installed in my existing masonry fireplace?
- Does a gas fireplace insert need a chimney liner?
- How do you measure a fireplace to know if an insert will fit?