Should I clear snow and ice away from my fireplace's outside vent termination?
Yes — Fletcher mixes 1990s subdivision homes with builder-grade gas fireplaces and a lot of I-26 corridor commercial property, and both get their outside vents buried the same way. Plowed parking lots throw snow against low sidewall terminations, and a blocked vent shuts a gas fireplace down. Keep it clear after every storm and every plowing.
Plows are the local culprit
Around the airport and the I-26 corridor, commercial buildings with gas fireplaces sit next to lots that get plowed after every storm, and plows throw walls of snow right against the building, straight over any low sidewall termination. The same happens in driveways across the older Cane Creek and Howard Gap subdivisions. A buried intake or exhaust trips the fireplace off, or keeps it from venting properly.
Builder-grade fireplaces from the 1990s vent like any sealed unit: block the termination and they stop, no matter how new or old the box is.
Tell your plow crew, clear it gently
If a service plows your commercial lot or driveway, make sure they know where the termination is so they do not pack it solid. After a storm, wait for the unit to cool, then hand-brush the snow and open a clear zone around the vent. Never chip solid ice off the cap.
We are 20 minutes south of Emma Road in Henderson County, an easy call for residential or commercial. If a Fletcher vent will not clear or looks damaged, call (828) 545-0525 before running it, and we handle the county permit on any venting that needs replacing.
Fireplace help in Fletcher
We install and service fireplaces throughout Fletcher and the rest of Henderson County — just 20 minutes south from our Asheville-area showroom.
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