I just moved into a home with a fireplace — should I have it inspected before using it?
Yes, and in Arden the inspection often doubles as a reality check on an old open fireplace. Many Royal Pines and Skyland homes from the 1980s and 90s have masonry fireboxes that pull more heat out of the room than they put in. Before your first fire, have us look at the flue's condition — and whether a sealed insert would serve you better.
The open fireplace that costs you heat
An open masonry fireplace in an established Arden home can actually run a net heat loss — it draws warm room air up the chimney faster than it radiates heat back into the space. On a house you just bought, you inherit that inefficiency along with an unknown flue that's had decades of use in Skyland or Royal Pines. The inspection tells you the real condition of the liner, damper, and crown, and whether all that use left creosote or cracks you'd never spot from the hearth. That's the honest starting point before you decide what to do with it.
From draft to real heat
This is why so many Arden owners keep the masonry surround and add a sealed insert — inserts commonly run 70% efficient or better, versus an open fireplace that can lose net heat. An inspection is the first step: it confirms whether the existing flue can take a properly sized liner for a gas or wood insert, turning a decorative, drafty hole in the wall into an appliance that actually warms the room.
Gas, permit, sequence
Arden runs on the natural-gas main, so a gas insert or log set means a permitted, pressure-tested line — licensed work handled with Buncombe County. We're 15 minutes north in Asheville. Do the inspection first, decide on any upgrade second, then settle into an annual service. Call (828) 545-0525.
Fireplace help in Arden
We install and service fireplaces throughout Arden and the rest of Buncombe County — just 15 minutes south from our Asheville-area showroom.
Related questions
- Do I need a chimney inspection when buying or selling a home?
- What are Level 1, Level 2, and Level 3 chimney inspections?
- Does a fireplace I never use still need to be inspected?
- What is the difference between a chimney inspection and a chimney sweeping?
- Do fireplaces and chimneys in older homes need more frequent maintenance?