Do I need a chimney inspection before installing an insert?
Yes — a Leicester insert starts with a chimney inspection, and out on these rural properties the fuel comes first. Many homes here run propane, and wood heat is popular, so the insert is usually an LP gas unit or a wood insert — both threading a liner up an existing chimney. We scope that flue before we size or set anything.
Propane, wood, and limited power
Some remote Leicester properties have limited electrical capacity, which nudges people toward a wood insert or a millivolt gas insert that throws heat with little or no electricity — the kind of grid-independent warmth that earns its keep on a rural road. Whichever way you go, the appliance vents through a liner, and the liner needs a sound flue under it. Many of these chimneys have sat idle or gone years without a look, so the camera scope is where we catch nesting, blockage, and cracked tile before an insert hides them.
Cold hollows, Buncombe permit
Cold-air drainage runs the Sandy Mush and Turkey Creek valleys 5 to 8 degrees colder than Asheville on clear winter nights, so a working hearth is more than nice-to-have out here. Once the flue checks out, we pull the Buncombe County permit and pressure-test any gas or propane line. Leicester is 15 minutes west of the Asheville showroom.
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
- 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?