How should I shut down and protect a fireplace in a second home that sits vacant for months?
In Asheville you're on the natural-gas mains, so closing up a vacant second home is simple — there's no propane tank to service, just the pilot, the meter, and the flue. Shut the gas fireplace's pilot for the season (or leave a standing pilot lit to keep the firebox dry), pull the remote batteries, and seal the chimney before you go.
Natural gas simplifies the fuel side
Sitting on the Asheville gas mains means there's no tank valve to close or propane supplier to coordinate before you leave — the meter stays put and the appliance sits idle safely for months. On a modern electronic-ignition unit, pull the remote and receiver batteries so a long empty stretch doesn't leave you with leaked, corroded cells. A standing-pilot model gives you a choice worth taking here: leaving that small flame lit keeps the firebox warm and dry, which matters because our elevation holds nighttime temperatures in the 20s deep into spring even with the house closed and unheated.
Montford masonry vs. South Asheville direct-vent
Asheville is really two housing stocks, and each closes up differently. The original masonry fireplaces in Montford and North Asheville breathe through an open flue, so a cold-air block and a capped, screened chimney are non-negotiable — an open top is an open door for the birds and squirrels that nest in an unused flue while you're away. Newer South Asheville clean-face gas is sealed by design; a direct-vent unit's coaxial pipe already keeps weather and wildlife out, so your close-up there is mostly the pilot and the batteries. Clean any ash from a wood firebox first, since ash holds damp and rusts the damper.
We're on Emma Road
Our showroom and crews are headquartered at 629 Emma Rd, so opening and closing an Asheville house is often a same-day trip. A lot of owners have us button the fireplace up in spring and then clear the vent, check the pilot and connections, and confirm the damper and cap each fall — so the first fire after a vacant stretch is uneventful rather than a smoke-back or a CO scare. We pull any Buncombe County permit if reopening turns up work. Call (828) 545-0525.
Fireplace help in Asheville
We install and service fireplaces throughout Asheville and the rest of Buncombe County — we're headquartered right here.
Related questions
- Does a fireplace I never use still need to be inspected?
- Should I turn off the pilot light on my gas fireplace in the summer?
- How do I keep birds and animals from nesting in my fireplace vent or chimney?
- How do I keep dust and debris out of my fireplace during the months it is not used?
- Should I use a chimney balloon or flue plug to seal the chimney during the off-season?