Do I need a spark arrestor cap on my chimney?
Swannanoa is rebuilding, and that makes this the right moment to get the cap right. As storm-damaged homes are renovated and new fireplaces and stoves go in, a wood-burning flue should be fitted with a spark-arrestor cap from the start. On the mid-century masonry around Grovemont, it's standard safety equipment the original build likely never included.
New installs in rebuilt homes — do it once, do it right
Recovery from recent storm damage has driven a wave of new fireplace and wood-stove installations across Swannanoa, especially through the Grovemont area's 1940s-to-60s homes. When a hearth is going in or being rebuilt anyway, adding a correctly sized stainless arrestor cap is a small line item that closes a real safety gap — many of these original masonry fireboxes were built without any spark screen. A new wood stove in particular drafts hard through a fresh liner, and capping that liner at the top is part of a complete, code-minded install, not an upsell.
The valley's damp is relentless on masonry
Swannanoa's river-valley setting means fog, cold-air pooling, and damp air much of the year, and that moisture is hard on chimneys — it rusts dampers and soaks into masonry that then cracks through freeze-thaw. A cap that keeps rain out of the flue is a direct defense, and stainless holds up in this damp where cheaper metal rusts fast. It also keeps the animals out of a flue between fires. On the wood side, the mesh still does its first job, stopping embers before they reach the roof.
Fifteen minutes east
We're just 15 minutes east of the Asheville showroom and have worked these Swannanoa Valley homes for years. Call (828) 545-0525 and we'll size the cap into your new or rebuilt install.
Fireplace help in Swannanoa
We install and service fireplaces throughout Swannanoa and the rest of Buncombe County — just 15 minutes east from our Asheville-area showroom.