My chimney is damaged — can I still install a gas insert?
Often yes, though Brevard's wet climate makes the inspection matter more. Transylvania County sees 80-plus inches of rain a year, which cracks crowns, spalls brick, and rusts out dampers — but a sealed gas insert vents through its own stainless liner, so a damaged flue alone won't stop it. Water-rotted structure is the part we check carefully.
Rain is what damages chimneys here
Brevard and the rest of Transylvania County get some of the heaviest rainfall in the state, and it's tough on masonry. Water works into a chimney through a cracked crown, freezes and thaws through the brick, rusts the damper, and rots the clay liner from the inside — the crawl spaces and chimney chases on downtown homes and the cabins alike take the brunt of it. A gas insert answers most of that damage directly: a stainless liner replaces the failed flue, and the sealed appliance no longer relies on the wet, tired masonry to carry its exhaust.
When water has gone deeper than the flue
The one thing rain can do that a liner won't fix is undermine the structure itself. If moisture has spalled the brick until the chase is separating, or a broken crown has let years of water into the stack, that masonry gets repaired or rebuilt before we vent anything through it. Our Level 2 camera inspection shows exactly how far the water got, and we lay out both the liner-and-insert path and any masonry work honestly before starting — no surprises on the bill.
Propane, permits, and waterproofing
Much of Brevard runs on propane rather than a gas main, so we set the insert up for LP with the correct orifices and pressures — and every gas line we run is licensed, permitted work we pressure-test, the connection a showroom or mason legally can't make. We permit with Transylvania County and meet the inspector, and we'll make sure the chimney's capped and sealed against the next wet season. The showroom is about 40 minutes northeast in Asheville. 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
- 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?