Does replacing an open wood fireplace with an insert improve the air in my house?
Yes — for the original masonry fireboxes in Montford and North Asheville, swapping to a sealed insert is one of the clearest air-quality gains we make. Those century-old open hearths leak fine smoke particulate (PM2.5) into the room on every cold start and mountain downdraft. A sealed insert keeps the burn behind glass and vents it out instead.
The historic homes where we see it most
Montford, North Asheville, and West Asheville are full of original masonry fireplaces built in an era when a faintly smoky parlor was just part of winter. An open box like that has no seal — its draft rises and falls with the weather, so on a cold start, a downdraft day, or any time you open the screen to tend it, fine particulate drifts into the room you're sitting in. Our elevation keeps nights in the 20s well into early spring, which means a long fire season and a lot of hours breathing whatever that open hearth spills into the air. It's also quietly working against you on heat, pulling warm room air up the flue.
What sealing the box does
Asheville sits on the natural-gas mains, so the cleanest indoor-air fix is a direct-vent gas insert like the Napoleon Oakville X4 — it draws combustion air from outside, seals the fire behind ceramic glass, and pushes exhaust straight back out, so none of it touches your room air. If you'd rather keep burning wood, an EPA-certified Regency or Superior insert with a stainless liner sized to the appliance runs commonly 70% efficient or better and sends smoke up and out instead of loitering in the firebox. You gain on two fronts at once: the particulate stops entering your living space, and you get real heat instead of the open box's net loss.
Local, licensed, and right down the road
We're headquartered at 629 Emma Rd, so an in-home look is easy to schedule. Running or extending the gas line is licensed work in North Carolina — a showroom or a mason can sell you a firebox but can't legally connect it to fuel — so we pull the permit with Buncombe County, pressure-test the line, and meet the inspector. Come by the Asheville showroom to see the units, or call (828) 545-0525 for a free assessment.
Fireplace help in Asheville
We install and service fireplaces throughout Asheville and the rest of Buncombe County — we're headquartered right here.
Related questions
- Do wood-burning fireplaces pollute the air inside your house?
- Will converting my wood fireplace to gas improve my indoor air quality?
- Does a wood-burning insert pollute less than an open fireplace?
- Will a gas insert seal off the drafts and old smoke odors coming from my open fireplace chimney?
- Does closing the glass doors on a wood-burning fireplace keep smoke out of the room?