Does a fireplace I never use still need to be inspected?
Yes — and in Asheville the answer depends on which house you own. A never-lit gas unit in a newer South Asheville build can still seep at a fitting, while a dormant masonry hearth up in Montford quietly collects nests and cracks its clay liner. Either way, get it inspected before you relight, and we're headquartered right here on Emma Road.
Two Asheville housing stories
The city's older core — Montford, North Asheville, the historic pockets around Grove Park — runs on original masonry fireplaces, and when one sits unused the chimney becomes prime real estate for birds and squirrels while our 20s-into-early-spring freeze-thaw nights work moisture into aging crowns and mortar. Newer construction across South and West Asheville leans on clean-face sealed gas, and that hides a quieter problem: nothing burns, so nothing dries the firebox, and gas connections can corrode or weep with no flame and no nose in the room to catch it. An idle fireplace isn't frozen in time — it's aging in a way you won't see from the couch. That's true whether it's a 1910 firebox or a builder-grade insert nobody's touched.
The fast-market inspection
Asheville homes change hands quickly, and a dormant fireplace is one of the most common things a new owner inherits blind. If you've just closed in Kenilworth or Biltmore Village and don't know when the hearth was last serviced — or whether it ever was — don't strike a match until we've looked. A Level 2 or real-estate inspection tells you what's actually in the flue and whether the gas side is sound. When you relight or replace, Buncombe County still wants the permit pulled and the inspector met on any gas work, and as a licensed gas contractor we run that from permit to pressure test. Being based on Emma Road, we're rarely more than a short drive out. Call (828) 545-0525.
Fireplace help in Asheville
We install and service fireplaces throughout Asheville and the rest of Buncombe County — we're headquartered right here.
Related questions
- I just moved into a home with a fireplace — should I have it inspected before using it?
- Do I need a chimney inspection when buying or selling a home?
- Why is there moisture or rust in a fireplace I rarely use?
- How do I keep birds and animals from nesting in my fireplace vent or chimney?
- How should I shut down and protect a fireplace in a second home that sits vacant for months?