Do I need a chimney inspection before installing an insert?
Yes — before a Candler insert we inspect the chimney, and the goal here is real heat. Fast-growing subdivisions came with basic decorative fireboxes that were never built to warm a room, and owners want a genuine heat-producing insert within a few years. We scope the existing box and flue first to see exactly what a real appliance will need.
From decorative to genuine heat
A builder-grade decorative firebox is essentially for looks — it makes a flame, not warmth. A sealed insert with the right liner is a different machine, one that actually heats the room, and Hominy Valley's natural bowl gives it a second benefit: a clean-burning sealed appliance keeps smoke and particulates out of the still valley air on cold winter days. The inspection tells us whether that decorative box and its venting can carry a real insert or whether we're working with something that needs replacing first. Either way, we tell you straight before you commit.
Fuel, then the Buncombe permit
Candler is split on fuel — gas mains reach parts of the Enka-Candler corridor, while plenty of homes out toward Hominy Valley and the Pisgah Highway run on propane — so we confirm which you've got before sizing the appliance and liner. Then we pull the Buncombe County permit, pressure-test any line we run, and meet the inspector. You're 15 minutes west of the Emma Road showroom.
Fireplace help in Candler
We install and service fireplaces throughout Candler and the rest of Buncombe County — just 15 minutes west from our Asheville-area showroom.
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?