Does a fireplace I never use still need to be inspected?
Yes, and Leicester's rural, propane-and-wood setup makes it matter more, not less. Many homes here run propane or wood on large back-road properties where a leak from an idle fireplace has no one nearby to smell it, and cold-air drainage drops the valleys well below Asheville on clear nights — the wrong time to find a saved fireplace won't light.
Propane, wood, and no neighbor to notice
On Leicester's large rural lots up Sandy Mush and Turkey Creek, a fireplace that sits idle does it in isolation. A dormant propane connection can seep heavier-than-air gas that settles low, and with the nearest house often well off, there's no one around to catch it early. Homes leaning on wood have the opposite off-season hazard: an unused wood flue holds old creosote and can grow a nest, turning a first fire into a chimney-fire risk. Some remote properties here also run on limited electrical capacity, which makes a dependable, well-maintained hearth more than a nicety. Idle isn't safe on either fuel — it's just unwatched.
Cold drainage, and the check before you light
Leicester's rural valleys run 5 to 8 degrees colder than Asheville on clear winter nights as cold air drains downhill, so the deep-cold evening you finally want that dormant fireplace is exactly when a neglected one fails. Before you relight anything that's sat unused — propane hearth or wood firebox — have it inspected: the gas side is licensed work we handle as a licensed gas contractor, and the wood side gets the flue cleared and checked. We're about 15 minutes west of the Emma Road showroom, close enough to get out ahead of the season. Buying a Leicester property? Don't light the fireplace until you know its history. Call (828) 545-0525.
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.
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