My chimney is damaged — can I still install a gas insert?
Yes, in most cases — and out in Leicester, how the insert gets its spark matters. Many rural properties here run on propane or wood, and some remote ones have limited electrical capacity, so a millivolt or battery-backup insert is ideal. A gas insert vents through its own stainless liner, so a damaged chimney rarely stops it — only structural failure does.
Heat that doesn't lean on the grid
Leicester's rural, large-property homes out toward Sandy Mush and Turkey Creek often run on propane, wood heat is popular, and some of the more remote places have limited electrical capacity to begin with. That shapes the right insert. A millivolt gas insert lights and runs on the fuel's own energy with no circuit board, and a battery-backup ignition keeps working when the power's out — worth a lot on a rural line, and worth even more after a storm. The insert vents through its own stainless liner, so a cracked or damaged flue in an older chimney isn't the obstacle people expect.
Propane and wood-to-gas, done right
If you're converting a damaged wood fireplace, we run a sized stainless liner and set the sealed insert up for propane with the correct orifices and pressure so it burns clean. Connecting that propane — regulator, piping, appliance — is licensed gas work we pressure-test, coordinating the tank with your supplier, and it's the part a showroom or mason legally can't touch. Cold-air drainage runs these valleys several degrees colder than Asheville on clear nights, so the heat is real.
First, the camera goes up the chimney
A Level 2 camera inspection settles whether it's a clean liner-and-insert job or masonry repair first — a leaning stack, a separating chase, or a crown broken open to the weather gets fixed before anything vents through it, because a liner braces nothing. We permit through Buncombe County and meet the inspector, and Leicester is only about 15 minutes west of the showroom. Call (828) 545-0525.
Fireplace help in Leicester
We install and service fireplaces throughout Leicester and the rest of Buncombe County — just 15 minutes west 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?