Should I clear snow and ice away from my fireplace's outside vent termination?
Yes — a lot of Clyde's 1960s-80s ranch homes have upgraded a dated fireplace to a sealed insert, and that insert vents to an outside termination snow and ice can block. Sitting in the Pigeon valley's cold-air drainage and river humidity, those caps corrode and hold ice. Keep the termination clear after every storm.
Ranch-home insert upgrades bring a new vent
When one of Clyde's 1960s-80s ranches swaps its dated firebox for a modern sealed insert, the upgrade that finally makes it heat instead of just glow, the venting terminates outside, up a chase or out a sidewall. Clyde shares the cold-air drainage that keeps Canton and Waynesville frozen, and the river humidity here rusts caps and screens, giving ice a rough grip. Both keep a vent buried longer than the daytime temperature suggests.
A sealed insert needs its intake and exhaust open, or it trips off and the room goes cold on the coldest nights.
Clear it gently, and the Haywood permit
Once the insert is cool, brush snow off by hand and clear around the termination. Never chip solid ice with a tool. A bent cap or cracked pipe becomes a repair. Let it thaw, and keep any propane regulator vent clear too, since many homes here run on propane.
We are 25 minutes west of Emma Road in Haywood County. If a Clyde vent will not clear or the cap looks damaged, call (828) 545-0525. If damaged venting needs replacing, we pull the Haywood permit and pressure-test any gas line the job touches.
Fireplace help in Clyde
We install and service fireplaces throughout Clyde and the rest of Haywood County — just 25 minutes west from our Asheville-area showroom.
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