Is it worth replacing my old open-front B-vent gas fireplace with a sealed direct vent unit?
In Brevard, yes — and the weather makes the case as much as the heat does. This is 80-plus-inches-of-rain country, and the chimney chase an open-front B-vent vents through is exactly where that moisture does its damage. A sealed direct-vent unit vents out its own pipe and returns most of the gas as warmth instead of losing it up a damp flue. Ambiance-only and dry inside? Less urgent.
Rain, rot, and the chase your B-vent depends on
Transylvania County gets punished by water — 80-plus inches a year cracks crowns, spalls brick, and rusts dampers, and Brevard's crawl spaces and chimney chases take it worse than most. An open-front B-vent leans on that vertical flue, so as the chase degrades, so does its already-poor performance. A direct-vent unit doesn't need the old chimney at all: its sealed coaxial pipe can go straight out a sidewall, away from the wet chase entirely. For a downtown home or a cabin up toward Connestee Falls, that's one less thing the rain can ruin.
The heat difference, plus propane country
Beyond the venting, the sealed box just heats better. An open-front unit feeds the flame with room air you've already paid to warm and pushes the burner's output up the flue; the direct-vent design pulls outside air and keeps the warmth in the room. Plenty of Brevard's cabins run on propane, and there the waste stings more — every therm up the chimney is money out of a tank you filled. A propane-ready sealed unit like the Kozy Heat Springfield 36 is built for exactly these mountain homes, with the right orifices and pressure for LP.
What we do, and what it runs
A replacement is a full swap, not a patch — the old firebox and its B-vent come out, new venting goes in to the direct-vent unit's spec, and the gas line is remade. We permit that work with Transylvania County, pressure-test the line, and meet the inspector, because in North Carolina connecting fuel is licensed work and a showroom or mason legally can't do it. Gas fireplace installation generally runs $3,500–$8,000 installed, depending on the unit and the venting run. We're 40 minutes southwest; the in-home assessment is free. 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
- What's the difference between direct vent and B-vent gas fireplaces?
- Which is more efficient, a direct vent or a B-vent gas fireplace?
- Is a B-vent fireplace the same thing as a natural vent fireplace?
- Why do direct vent fireplaces have sealed glass fronts while older gas fireplaces are open?
- Is it better to vent a direct vent gas fireplace out the wall or up through the roof?