Should I install gas logs or keep burning real wood in my fireplace?
In Arden, the common case is a tired 1980s-90s open masonry fireplace in Royal Pines or Skyland that pulls heat out of the room. Keep burning wood if you truly use it and the chimney is sound. But if that open box mostly sits cold and drafty, a sealed insert, gas or wood, turns it into a real heater instead of a hole in the wall.
The drafty open firebox problem
Arden's established neighborhoods are full of open masonry fireplaces from the building boom of the 80s and 90s, open, handsome, and quietly working against you. With the damper cracked they leak conditioned air year-round, and on a cold night an open firebox can lose more heat than it makes, running a net loss up the chimney. A surprising number of Arden homeowners do not actually need a new fireplace; they need their existing one to stop draining the room. The valley setting funnels cold air down the Hendersonville Road corridor on winter nights, which makes a leaky hearth even more noticeable.
Inserts are the upgrade this town needs
Drop a sealed insert into that opening, a Napoleon Oakville X4 or a Kozy Heat Chaska on the natural-gas mains, or a wood insert if you would rather keep burning cordwood, and the same firebox becomes 70 percent efficient or better instead of a liability. It is the most common recommendation we make in Skyland and Royal Pines, precisely because the bones are already there. If you only want easy ambiance rather than heat, a vented Real Fyre set is the simpler route, with no illusions about warmth.
Licensed, permitted, and close by
The gas connection on any of this is licensed work, so we pull the Buncombe County permit and pressure-test the line, the part a showroom or mason legally cannot do. Arden is only about 15 minutes from our Emma Road showroom, so come see inserts and log sets side by side before you decide. Call (828) 545-0525.
Fireplace help in Arden
We install and service fireplaces throughout Arden and the rest of Buncombe County — just 15 minutes south from our Asheville-area showroom.
Related questions
- Should I get a gas fireplace or a wood-burning fireplace?
- Is it cheaper to heat your house with wood or with gas?
- Does a gas fireplace give you the crackle, smell, and feel of a real wood fire?
- What are my options for converting a wood-burning fireplace to gas — logs vs insert vs new fireplace?
- Can I convert my gas fireplace back to wood-burning, and is it worth it versus keeping gas?