I just bought a house with a gas fireplace that doesn't work and there's no manual — how do I figure out what's wrong?
In Brevard you're most likely on propane, so before touching the fireplace, check the tank gauge and the service valve at the tank — a closed valve or an empty tank between owners reads exactly like a dead fireplace. Then read the rating plate to confirm LP and the model. Transylvania's wet climate is hard on anything that sat, so expect a service, not a funeral.
Start at the propane tank
Brevard is propane country, and with an unknown-history home the fuel supply itself is the first thing to rule out. Walk to the tank: is there gas in it, and is the service valve open? A supplier may have shut it off when the house went vacant, and no amount of switch-flipping fixes an empty tank.
The metal rating plate on the firebox will read LP and give you the brand and model. If it reads NG instead, someone converted the unit, which is its own problem — the orifice and pressure have to match the fuel, or it soots and runs poorly. That's worth flagging to us.
What 80 inches of rain does
Transylvania County catches 80-plus inches of rain a year, and Brevard's crawl spaces and chimney chases take the brunt of it. Moisture cracks crowns, spalls brick, rusts dampers, and corrodes vent terminations and gas valves — so a fireplace that idled through a sale has often taken on damp damage on top of a missed service.
We'll test the ignition and safety sensors, check the venting, and permit anything we replace with Transylvania County. Whether you're downtown, in Connestee Falls, or out toward Sherwood Forest, the diagnostic is quoted before we start. Call (828) 545-0525.
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.
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