Is the original masonry chimney in my older Asheville home safe to reuse for gas logs or an insert, or does it need a new liner first?
Brevard's rainfall is the reason to inspect before you reuse anything. Vented gas logs can run in a masonry flue that scans sound and correctly sized; a sealed insert needs its own stainless liner regardless. But with 80-plus inches of rain a year working on local chimneys, the odds that an older flue has taken water damage are higher here than almost anywhere we serve.
Rain Is the Enemy of Old Masonry
Transylvania County catches some of the heaviest rainfall in the East, and it shows up in the chimneys. Water gets in through a cracked crown or a missing cap, freezes and thaws inside the brick, and over the years you get spalled face brick, rust-weakened dampers, and clay tiles that have shifted or fractured. Brevard's crawl spaces and chimney chases stay damp, which only speeds the process. None of that reads from the hearth — a video scan up the flue is how we find it.
So while vented logs can sometimes share an existing masonry flue, in Brevard we check more carefully than usual, because a water-compromised flue that looked fine last winter can fail an inspection this one.
Propane Country, Insert or Logs
Much of Brevard and the cabins around it run on propane rather than a gas main, so a conversion here is set up for LP — the right orifices and pressures so the flame burns clean instead of sooting. A sealed propane insert delivers efficient, power-optional heat, and it vents through a stainless liner sized to the unit; an old, oversized masonry flue cannot do that job.
We pull the Transylvania County permit and meet the inspector, and we pressure-test every gas line we run. Brevard is about forty minutes southwest of our Asheville shop, so we schedule the inspection and the work together. 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 have the fireplace and chimney inspected before using them in a WNC home I just bought?
- Do I need a permit just to add gas logs to my existing fireplace in North Carolina?
- If I start in November, can I convert my wood fireplace to gas logs in time for the holidays?
- Do Asheville historic districts restrict adding a chimney, vent termination, or fireplace?
- The previous owner installed a fireplace without a permit — will that cause problems when I sell my WNC home?