My street is getting natural gas service — what do I need to do with my propane fireplace?
In Mars Hill, it's two worlds — easy-use gas fireplaces around the university where mains are more likely, and rural Spring Creek and Gabriels Creek homes that lean on propane or wood. If a natural-gas main reaches your street you can convert, stay on propane, or replace. We handle the licensed line and pull the Madison County permit.
Where you are decides your options
Close to Mars Hill University, homes and rentals favor simple, reliable gas fireplaces, and that's also where a natural-gas main is likeliest to run. Out in the Spring Creek and Gabriels Creek valleys, propane and wood do the work, and a main may never reach the property line. So step one is confirming with the utility that gas is genuinely coming to your street — not to a road two miles down — because that single fact decides whether converting is even on the table.
Converting a propane unit
If gas does arrive and you're on propane, the fireplace can't just switch fuels. Propane runs hotter and at higher pressure, so the orifices and regulator change to the natural-gas kit built for your exact model, or the flame underfires and soots. This is one of the colder spots we serve, so you want that flame set right for the load it'll carry. Running the line is licensed work — Madison County permit, pressure test, and an inspector, which also protects your insurance.
Or keep what works
Plenty of rural Mars Hill homes are best served staying on propane or keeping a wood setup — we won't push a conversion that doesn't pay. If a conversion does make sense, we read your model tag first to be sure a natural-gas kit exists for it — some older units have none, and a factory natural-gas unit is the safer path. You're about 30 minutes north of our Asheville showroom. Call (828) 545-0525 for a free in-home assessment.
Fireplace help in Mars Hill
We install and service fireplaces throughout Mars Hill and the rest of Madison County — just 30 minutes north from our Asheville-area showroom.
Related questions
- Can I convert a propane fireplace to natural gas?
- How much does it cost to convert a gas fireplace between natural gas and propane?
- What parts get changed when a fireplace is converted from one gas to the other?
- Do I need a conversion kit specific to my fireplace's brand and model?
- Are all gas fireplaces convertible between natural gas and propane?