What are my options for a gas fireplace if my neighborhood doesn't have natural gas?
Swannanoa is rebuilding after the storm, and a lot of those new and renovated homes want a real fireplace back. Where the natural-gas main doesn't reach — common in the valley — propane does the job: the same sealed gas fireplace, orificed for LP, fed from a tank, delivering the outage-proof heat this valley now takes seriously.
A fireplace back on the rebuild list
Swannanoa is in the middle of rebuilding, and a working fireplace is high on a lot of homeowners' lists as they renovate — partly for the heat, and partly because the storm made painfully clear which houses stayed warm when the power didn't. Those were the ones with a working hearth. As Grovemont's 1940s-to-'60s homes get put back together, many owners are retiring the original masonry firebox for a sealed gas unit that heats far better and vents cleanly. Where the street sits off the natural-gas main, we build that unit for propane — same fireplace, orificed for LP, fed from a tank.
Skip the old flue, permit the new work
The valley's river fog, cold-air pooling, and damp air are rough on masonry chimneys, so a sealed direct-vent fireplace that skips the old flue is often the smarter rebuild than patching a deteriorating one. The setup is coordinated and permitted: your propane supplier sets and fills the tank, and we run and pressure-test the gas line, set the appliance for LP, pull the Buncombe County permit, and meet the inspector. On a rebuild especially, permitted and inspected gas work is what protects the home's value and the insurance behind it.
Power-optional heat, learned the hard way
This is a community that learned the value of power-optional heat the hard way. A propane fireplace with millivolt or battery-backup ignition keeps warmth in the house when the grid's down and the tank's full — central heat can't say the same. Fifteen minutes east of our Emma Rd showroom, Swannanoa is close-in service territory. Call (828) 545-0525 for a free in-home assessment.
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.