Does an older home's fireplace and chimney have to be brought up to current code when I add an insert or gas logs?
Brevard is propane country, and adding gas logs or a gas insert here doesn't push your whole house up to code — but the flue and the propane connection both have to check out first. What Transylvania's weather does to a chimney is the real story: 80-plus inches of rain a year is hard on the masonry that has to vent your new appliance.
Rain Is the Enemy of the Flue
Between March and June especially, Brevard's rainfall works into crowns, spalls the brick face, and rusts dampers and caps — and the same moisture that damages the chimney top gets down into the flue. On downtown homes and the cabins out toward Connestee Falls and Sherwood Forest, the crawl spaces and chimney chases take the worst of it. An inspection before an insert goes in almost always looks hardest at water damage: a cracked crown or deteriorated liner that a beautiful open fire never revealed, but that a sealed appliance can't safely vent through.
Propane Changes the Setup
Because most of Brevard runs on propane rather than a gas main, the appliance has to be configured for LP — propane burns hotter per unit and needs different orifices and pressures, and a wrong-fuel setup soots the glass and the logs. We connect the regulator and piping, set the appliance up correctly, and coordinate the tank with your propane supplier. Running that fuel line is licensed work in North Carolina — a mason or a landscaper legally can't do it, and we pressure-test every line we run.
Grandfathered, Within Limits
The existing fireplace keeps its grandfathered standing; only the system now venting the new appliance has to meet the current standard, and everything else stays as-is. We permit through Transylvania County and meet the inspector. At about 40 minutes southwest of our Asheville showroom, it's worth booking the inspection before the wet season so nothing's rushed. Call (828) 545-0525.
Fireplace help in Brevard
We install and service fireplaces throughout Brevard and the rest of Transylvania County — just 40 minutes southwest from our Asheville-area showroom.
Related questions
- Do I need a chimney inspection before installing an insert?
- My chimney is damaged — can I still install a gas insert?
- Can a gas insert be installed in my existing masonry fireplace?
- Does a wood-burning insert require a full stainless steel liner to the top of the chimney?
- What building codes govern fireplace installation?