I just moved into a house with a gas fireplace and no manual — how do I figure out what kind it is and turn it on safely?
In Arden, a lot of the 1980s and 90s homes in Royal Pines and Skyland came with open masonry fireplaces that pull heat out of the room rather than adding it. If yours was later fitted with gas, find the rating plate on the insert or log set behind the louver — and look for a key valve — to confirm the brand, model, and fuel before lighting.
Open Firebox, or Converted?
The first thing to sort out in an Arden home is whether your fireplace is still a plain open masonry firebox or has been converted to gas. An open firebox has no pilot to light — you'd burn wood, and the flue needs inspecting first. A conversion means either a decorative vented log set lit by a key valve in the floor or wall, or a sealed gas insert with its rating plate behind a louver or control door. The starting method is completely different for each, so identify it before you reach for a match.
Why Sealed Inserts Win Here
Those tired open masonry fireplaces are drafty by nature — they send warm room air straight up the chimney and often draw cold air back down. It's exactly why a sealed insert is such a common Arden upgrade: it turns a heat-losing showpiece into a real heater that lights from a switch. If you've inherited an open firebox and want actual warmth from it, that's the conversation, and every conversion needs a licensed gas line run and permitted. Arden's on natural gas, but confirm any existing unit's fuel on the plate.
Fifteen Minutes South
Whether you've got an open firebox, a log set, or a sealed insert, we're 15 minutes south of the showroom for a first-use inspection — confirming fuel and ignition, cleaning and testing the burner, and checking the venting. We'd rather get you the right setup than the priciest one, so if all your fireplace needs is a cleaning to run right, that's what we'll tell you. 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.