Is a fireplace that hasn't been used in years safe to start using again?
Brevard earns a hard 'inspect it first' on this one. With 80-plus inches of rain a year, a chimney that's stood idle has been soaking up water the whole time — spalled brick, a rusted damper, a cracked crown letting more in. Most come back with modest work, but never light one before a camera confirms the flue is sound.
Rain is the enemy here
Transylvania County gets some of the wettest weather in the eastern US, and water is what quietly wrecks a fireplace nobody's using. The wet season from March into June drives moisture into every crack; freeze cycles then pry those cracks wider. On downtown Brevard homes and the cabins tucked toward Cedar Mountain alike, we routinely scope idle flues and find spalled firebrick, mortar washed to sand, a crown split open, and a damper rusted solid. A chimney chase or crawl space that's been damp for years compounds it.
Cabins on propane sit idle longest
Much of Brevard's rural and cabin stock runs on propane, and those fireplaces are exactly the ones that go cold for a season or more. A propane unit sitting unused wants a leak check, an orifice inspection, and a look at the regulator before it's trusted — LP burns hotter and its orifices are unforgiving of the dust and spider webbing that collect over months of silence.
Getting it verified
We start with a Level 2 video scope top to bottom, sweep as needed, and check the crown, cap, and clearances while we're up there. On gas work we pull the Transylvania permit, pressure-test, and meet the inspector. If moisture has taken a masonry flue past saving, a stainless liner or a sealed insert is usually the honest fix — and for a timber-frame or mountain-modern home, a hand-built unit like a Mendota makes a real centerpiece. We're 40 minutes southwest; 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.
Related questions
- Should I get a fireplace and chimney safety inspection before buying an older home?
- Is a bird's nest or animal in the chimney a fire or carbon monoxide hazard?
- Is it safe to use a wood fireplace with cracked flue tiles or a damaged chimney liner?
- How do I check that my fireplace is safe to use before the first fire of the season?
- Is a chimney safe to use after a lightning strike or storm damage?