Is it worth replacing my old open-front B-vent gas fireplace with a sealed direct vent unit?
In Mars Hill, yes — for the reasons your neighbors already have. In the university-area rentals, an easy-lighting, low-fuss sealed gas unit is what makes sense; out in the Spring Creek and Gabriels Creek valleys, homes on propane or wood want heat that earns its fuel. An open-front B-vent does neither well. A sealed direct-vent unit does both.
Two markets, one upgrade
Mars Hill splits between the rental housing around the university and the rural valley homes stretching up Spring Creek, Gabriels Creek, and Forks of Ivy. The rentals want a fireplace that's foolproof — light it, heat the room, no coaxing a cold flue — and a sealed direct-vent unit delivers exactly that. The rural homes lean on propane or wood in one of the colder pockets we serve, where an open-front B-vent's habit of feeding the flame with warmed room air and venting the heat up the chimney is pure waste. On LP especially, that's money out of the tank.
Why sealed direct vent fits both
A direct-vent unit is a closed combustion box: outside air in, exhaust out, your room air untouched. That's what makes it easy — no chimney draft to manage, reliable ignition, less seasonal fuss — and what makes it efficient, returning most of the fuel as heat instead of losing it up a flue. For a propane home, we set it up with the correct orifices and pressure for LP so it burns clean and hot; for a rental, its dependable lighting is the whole point. And when winter storms cut power in these hills, a millivolt unit like the Valor H5 keeps heating with no electricity — worth real money to a rural home at the end of a long line.
The swap, permitted
Old unit and B-vent out, new venting to spec, gas or propane line remade, pressure-tested, permitted with the county, inspected. In North Carolina, connecting that fuel is licensed work — a showroom or handyman legally can't. Installation runs $3,500–$8,000 installed. We're 30 minutes north; the assessment is free. Call (828) 545-0525.
Fireplace help in Mars Hill
We install and service fireplaces throughout Mars Hill and the rest of Madison County — just 30 minutes north 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?