Clyde is full of 1960s-to-80s ranch homes with dated fireplaces ripe for an insert upgrade — and when you put a sealed gas insert in, you choose whether it runs a standing pilot. If it does, and the home's on the natural-gas main, the small continuous flame costs little. In this river-humid valley, that lit pilot also helps fight rust.
Ranch-era fireboxes, a modern insert
Those dated ranch fireplaces around Clyde weren't built to heat efficiently, and a sealed gas insert fixes that — while handing you the ignition choice. A millivolt standing pilot keeps a small flame lit around the clock; electronic or battery-backup ignition burns none. Where Clyde homes sit on the natural-gas main, a standing pilot's cost is minor, because it's the nonstop runtime and not the tiny flame size that lands on the bill. Out on the propane portions, that same pilot is a slightly more noticeable trickle from the tank.
River humidity gives the pilot a job
Clyde shares Canton and Waynesville's cold-air drainage, and the Pigeon valley's river humidity rusts dampers and degrades masonry chimneys faster than drier towns see. A standing pilot's small continuous warmth helps keep the insert's firebox and burner dry through all that damp — so its little cost buys a real anti-corrosion benefit here. That's a genuine reason to leave the pilot lit through the season rather than chase the small savings of shutting it off, especially on a natural-gas home where the cost is negligible anyway.
Skip it if you'd rather
Prefer no continuous flame? Electronic ignition lights only on demand, and battery-backup versions still fire when the power's out. Converting a dated firebox to a sealed insert is licensed gas work we permit through Haywood County — one accountable company for the unit, venting, and gas line, permitted and pressure-tested. We're 25 minutes west. 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
- Should I leave my gas fireplace pilot light on all summer or turn it off?
- Does the pilot light give off enough heat to warm up the room in summer?
- Are there benefits to leaving the pilot lit year-round, like keeping moisture and spiders out?
- How do I shut the pilot light off for the summer?
- Does turning the flame down make my gas fireplace use less gas?