Propane vs natural gas fire pit — which should I get?
In Swannanoa, natural gas is the fuel — the valley's on the mains — and with so many homes being rebuilt and renovated after the storm, now is the ideal moment to add an outdoor fire feature while the ground and the gas work are already open. We run the line and set the burner for natural gas.
Build it into the rebuild
Swannanoa took real storm damage, and a lot of Grovemont-era homes are being rebuilt or renovated right now. That's the smartest possible time to add a gas fire pit: when the yard is already disturbed and the gas system is being touched, running an outdoor-rated line to a patio pit is far less disruptive and less costly than cutting it in years later. If you're renovating anyway, plan the fire feature into the same job rather than reopening the ground for it down the road.
On the mains, and the burner matches
The Swannanoa Valley sits on natural-gas mains, so a plumbed pit is the natural pick — a buried line off your meter, no cylinder to watch, no delivery to schedule. The burner still gets built specifically for natural gas, which runs at lower pressure than propane; feed a pit the wrong fuel and it burns lazy and sooty. A handful of edge properties run on propane instead, and there we set the jets for LP. It's licensed gas-piping work either way — our lane, not a general contractor's.
River-valley damp, Buncombe permit
Swannanoa's river-valley fog and cold-air pooling keep the air damp, which is hard on outdoor steel, so the pan and fittings get built for it. We pull the Buncombe County permit, meet the inspector, and pressure-test the line before the first flame — one company accountable for the whole thing, 15 minutes east of our showroom. For real backup heat in an outage, though, that's an indoor hearth's job, not a patio pit's. Call (828) 545-0525.
Fireplace help in Swannanoa
We install and service fireplaces throughout Swannanoa and the rest of Buncombe County — just 15 minutes east from our Asheville-area showroom.
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