Does a fireplace I never use still need to be inspected?
Yes. A lot of Clyde's fireplaces are dated 1960s-to-80s ranch units that owners rarely light anymore — and those are the ones to watch. Sitting unused in the Pigeon valley's river humidity, a dormant firebox rusts its damper, takes on moisture, and draws nests. Get it inspected before you relight it or upgrade to an insert.
Old ranch fireboxes don't age well idle
Clyde's 1960s-through-80s ranch homes came with fireplaces that many owners have quietly retired — and a retired fireplace is not a preserved one. Left cold, the flue draws nesting birds and squirrels, and with no fires to dry it, moisture settles into the firebox and chimney and rusts the damper. At over 2,600 feet the freeze-thaw then opens cracks in crowns and mortar. These dated units are prime candidates for a sealed insert that turns a drafty box into a real heater, but that upgrade — and any relight — starts with an inspection to confirm what the years of sitting have done to the flue and, on gas units, the connections and controls.
River humidity, and the Haywood damp
Clyde shares Canton's and Waynesville's cold-air drainage and the Pigeon River's humidity, and that damp is unusually hard on idle hearths — it rusts dampers and degrades masonry chimneys faster when no regular fire ever dries them out. A dormant gas line here can also seep unnoticed with nobody lighting the unit to catch it. Whether yours runs on natural gas or propane, relighting or converting runs through Haywood County permitting on the gas side, which we pull and inspect as a licensed gas contractor. We're about 25 minutes west of the Emma Road showroom, so plan the check before winter. Call (828) 545-0525.
Fireplace help in Clyde
We install and service fireplaces throughout Clyde and the rest of Haywood County — just 25 minutes west from our Asheville-area showroom.
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?