Should I stock up on firewood before winter, and how early should I order it?
Yes if you burn wood — though Fletcher sits right on the natural-gas mains, so plenty of homes here run gas at the flip of a switch instead. If you've got a wood-burning fireplace in one of the 1990s subdivisions off Cane Creek or Howard Gap, order green in spring and let it season over the summer.
A gas-main town that still burns some wood
Fletcher runs along the natural-gas mains down the I-26 corridor, and a lot of the 1990s-era subdivisions came with builder-grade fireplaces — some gas, some wood. If yours is wood-burning, the early-order rule applies: buy green in spring while it's affordable and easy to find, then let a full summer of sun and air bring it down to a clean-burning moisture level. Show up to the October market hunting seasoned wood and you'll pay for it, if you find it at all.
Storing it on a subdivision lot
You don't need much room, just a smart setup. Keep the pile to a single row, up off the ground on pallets or rails, with the split faces turned to the sun and prevailing breeze, top covered and sides left open so air keeps moving. Skip the whole-pile tarp — it traps moisture and gives you the punky, hissing wood that smokes and coats the flue with creosote. Well-stored wood is half of a good, clean fire.
Before the first fire — or a switch to gas
Have the chimney checked before burning season; a summer's worth of dust and spiders in the pilot area and flue is a classic WNC problem. And since Fletcher has the gas on tap, converting that builder-grade wood box to a clean, low-maintenance gas unit is straightforward — running the line is licensed work we permit through Henderson County. Call (828) 545-0525.
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.