How should I shut down and protect a fireplace in a second home that sits vacant for months?
In Mills River, many homes on these rural large lots run on propane, so shutting down a vacant second home means coordinating the tank with your supplier, not just flipping a pilot. Seal the fireplace against the wooded, farmland setting's wildlife, and don't forget any outdoor gas fire pit — those need winterizing and covering too.
Propane and the tank
Out around Horse Shoe and Banner Farm, propane is common, and an LP system left for months wants a proper shutdown — coordinate any tank service with your propane supplier and confirm the appliance is set for LP so it restarts clean. As a licensed gas contractor we handle the regulator, piping, and appliance side; the tank itself stays with your supplier. Getting that connection right is what keeps a wrong-fuel soot-up off your glass on the first fire, since propane needs different orifices and pressures than the natural gas closer to town.
Rural lots mean more wildlife — indoors and out
Mills River's large lots sit amid farmland and forest, which puts more nesting pressure on an unused flue than a tight subdivision does. Cap and screen the chimney, or seal an open masonry flue with a chimney balloon, clean out the ash, and pull the remote batteries so they don't leak. If your second home has a gas fire pit — the open valley is made for outdoor living — shut its gas off at the source, then drain and cover it so a full season of weather doesn't corrode the burner and igniter while you're gone.
Twenty-five minutes south
We're 25 minutes south in Henderson County, glad to close a Mills River property in spring and reopen it in fall, and we pull the county permit for any gas-line or fire-pit work. Before the first indoor fire, have the connection, vent, and damper checked — a rural flue that sat all summer is a prime spot for a nest you don't want to find the hard way. Call (828) 545-0525.
Fireplace help in Mills River
We install and service fireplaces throughout Mills River and the rest of Henderson County — just 25 minutes south from our Asheville-area showroom.
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?