How do I check that my fireplace is safe to use before the first fire of the season?
Brevard gets 80-plus inches of rain a year, so a pre-season fireplace check here is really a moisture check: look for a cracked crown, spalled or flaking brick, and a damper rusted stiff before you count on the fireplace. Then, since much of Transylvania County runs on propane, confirm your tank and regulator before the first cold night, and test both alarms.
Rain is the enemy up here
All that Transylvania rainfall, worst March through June, works its way into crowns, chimney chases, and the crawl spaces under Brevard homes, and by fall you can find a crown cracked open, brick faces spalling off, and a damper so rusted it won't seat. Water in a flue also means rust flakes and rot you can't see from the hearth. Before the first fire, walk the outside of the chimney in daylight and look for staining, missing mortar, and a cap that has rusted through, all reasons to call before you light.
Propane country checklist
Out toward Connestee Falls, Sherwood Forest, and the cabins, propane is the fuel, and it behaves differently from natural gas: it burns hotter per unit and needs the right orifice and pressure, or the flame soots. Your pre-season job includes the tank gauge, the regulator vent, and the first-burn flame quality. Because connecting and setting propane is licensed gas work in North Carolina, a sooty or sluggish burner is our call, not a DIY fix. We pull the Transylvania County permit and pressure-test any line we touch.
Book before the wet turns cold
A pro measures draft under fire, CO at the vent, and gasket integrity under heat, things a flashlight can't reach and things that matter more where damp has been working on your chimney all summer. We're about 40 minutes southwest of the Asheville showroom. Call (828) 545-0525 and get the inspection done before the season's first cold rain.
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
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- How often should a chimney be swept to prevent a chimney fire?
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- Why is my carbon monoxide detector going off when my fireplace is running?