Is it worth fixing a 20-year-old gas fireplace?
In Leicester, a 20-year gas fireplace is often worth keeping precisely because of how it lights. Many rural homes here run on propane, some with limited electrical capacity, and an older millivolt unit needs no household power to make heat — that's an asset, not a liability. Fix it if the bones are sound; replace it only for discontinued parts or a cracked firebox.
An old millivolt unit is a grid-down asset
Leicester is rural, large-property country — many homes on propane, wood heat popular, and some remote places with limited electrical capacity. In that setting, an older 20-year gas fireplace running on a millivolt system is worth a second look before you replace it: millivolt ignition draws its power from the pilot's own heat, so it keeps producing warmth with no household electricity at all. On cold clear nights when cold-air drainage runs these valleys well below Asheville, and after storms that take the lines down, that's exactly the heat you want.
Fix the sound one, fuel-checked
If the firebox is intact and the vent draws, the usual 20-year repairs — a thermopile, a cleaned pilot, a valve service — are inexpensive and keep that power-optional heat working. On propane, we also check the regulator, orifices, and pressure, since a drifted LP setup soots and underperforms. It's all licensed gas work, permitted with Buncombe County and pressure-tested. Our [backup-heat guide](/guides/backup-heat-power-outage-wnc) explains why non-electric ignition matters out here.
When replacing still makes sense
If the part is discontinued or the firebox has cracked, we'll recommend a new unit — and out here we'd steer you toward one that also runs power-optional, whether that's a millivolt gas unit or, for a home that heats with wood, a sound stove. We diagnose, then price both. Call (828) 545-0525.
Fireplace help in Leicester
We install and service fireplaces throughout Leicester and the rest of Buncombe County — just 15 minutes west from our Asheville-area showroom.
Related questions
- Should I repair or replace my old gas fireplace?
- What do I do if replacement parts for my old fireplace are discontinued?
- Is a fireplace from the 1980s or 1990s still safe to use?
- What are the signs a gas fireplace needs to be replaced?
- Is it worth replacing a gas fireplace that still works just to get better efficiency or a newer look?