My chimney is damaged — can I still install a gas insert?
Often yes — and in Fairview, a chimney damaged by a past chimney fire is a case we see a lot. Wood heat is popular on these wooded lots, and creosote buildup is the leading cause of chimney fires here. A sealed gas insert vents through its own new stainless liner, so a fire-damaged flue rarely rules it out. Failing structure is the exception.
A wood-to-gas answer for a fire-damaged flue
Fairview's large wooded lots make wood heat a natural choice, and the flip side is creosote — the tarry buildup that's the leading cause of chimney fires out here without a fall sweep. A chimney fire cracks and glazes a clay flue and leaves it unsafe for another wood burn. That's one of the most satisfying conversions we do: we run a new, correctly sized stainless liner and set a sealed gas insert into the existing firebox, so a fire-damaged flue becomes a non-issue and you gain an efficient, low-fuss heater with no creosote to worry about.
Set up for propane
Most Fairview homes out toward Cane Creek and Garren Creek run on propane rather than a gas main, so we build the insert for LP with the right orifices and pressure — a wrong-fuel setup soots and underperforms. Connecting the propane system is licensed work we pressure-test and permit, coordinating the tank with your supplier, and it's the exact hookup a showroom or mason legally cannot make. With millivolt or battery-backup ignition, that heat keeps coming when the power's out.
Structure check, then the permit
Even after a chimney fire, most damage is to the flue, which the liner replaces — but a fire or years of weather can also compromise the masonry, so a leaning stack or a broken crown gets repaired before anything vents through it. A Level 2 camera inspection tells us which, and we quote it plainly. We permit through Buncombe County, and Fairview is about 15 minutes east of the showroom. Call (828) 545-0525.
Fireplace help in Fairview
We install and service fireplaces throughout Fairview and the rest of Buncombe County — just 15 minutes east 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?