My chimney is damaged — can I still install a gas insert?
Usually yes — even the century-old masonry chimneys in Montford and North Asheville rarely rule out a gas insert, because a sealed direct-vent insert breathes through its own stainless liner rather than the cracked clay flue behind it. We inspect first from our Emma Road showroom nearby, and unless the stack itself is failing, the insert runs safely.
Asheville's oldest chimneys, solved from the inside
Montford, North Asheville, and the older pockets of West Asheville are full of homes built before anyone worried about efficiency — oversized fireboxes, decades-old clay tiles, and flues that have shifted with the ground under them. A gas insert sidesteps all of that. We drop a correctly sized stainless liner down the existing chimney, and the sealed appliance draws its combustion air and vents its exhaust entirely through that new steel path. Whatever shape the original masonry is in, it becomes a chase — a passage for the liner — instead of the thing your fire depends on.
The one thing we check before anything else
There's a real limit, and living here means we see it. A leaning stack, a crown broken open to the weather, or masonry that's spalling and pulling apart isn't something a liner can hold together — that structure gets repaired first, then the insert goes in. A Level 2 camera scan, top to bottom, tells us which situation you're in, and because we're a licensed gas contractor we permit the work with Buncombe County and meet the inspector. Being headquartered on Emma Road means an assessment is usually a quick trip across town.
Natural gas and power-optional heat
Most Asheville neighborhoods sit on natural-gas mains, so once the liner's in we tie the insert to the existing line — licensed work we pressure-test and permit, never a hookup a showroom or mason can legally make. Choose millivolt or battery-backup ignition and that revived fireplace keeps throwing heat when the grid drops, the way the homes that stayed warm after Helene did. Call (828) 545-0525 for a free assessment.
Fireplace help in Asheville
We install and service fireplaces throughout Asheville and the rest of Buncombe County — we're headquartered right here.
Related questions
- Do I need a chimney inspection before installing an insert?
- Can you vent a gas fireplace or insert through an existing masonry chimney?
- Does a gas fireplace insert need a chimney liner?
- Why does a gas insert need two liners (co-linear venting)?
- Can a gas insert be installed in my existing masonry fireplace?