What are the steps to convert a wood-burning fireplace to gas?
In Asheville, a wood-to-gas conversion starts with our crew driving over from the 629 Emma Rd showroom to read your firebox and chimney, then confirming you're on a natural-gas main — most of the city is. From there we help you choose a gas log set or a sealed insert, run and permit the licensed line through Buncombe County, liner it if needed, set, pressure-test, and inspect.
The house decides the path
Which conversion suits you depends a lot on the era of your Asheville home. The original masonry fireboxes in Montford and North Asheville were built to burn cordwood — oversized, drafty, and ideal candidates for a sealed insert that finally makes them heat instead of leak warmth up the flue. Newer South Asheville construction tends to take a clean-face linear gas unit well, since those rooms were framed with modern venting in mind.
We walk the room before recommending anything: a gas log set gives you a tall, ambiance-first flame in the existing opening, while a sealed insert delivers efficient, power-optional heat through a stainless liner. The right answer for a Grove Park bungalow isn't the right answer for a West Asheville infill build.
Licensed line, Buncombe permit, on record
The one part no showroom or mason can legally do for you is the fuel. In North Carolina, running or extending a gas line is licensed work, and we're a licensed gas contractor — we tap the natural-gas main that serves most of the city, run the line, and pressure-test it before the unit ever fires. Then we pull the permit with Buncombe County and meet the inspector, so the work is documented and your homeowner's insurance stays protected.
Being headquartered right here on Emma Road means short drives, fast assessments, and a crew that already knows these neighborhoods and their chimneys. Countywide outages after Helene made the point locally — a hearth with millivolt or battery-backup ignition keeps producing heat when the grid is down. Most conversions wrap in a day or two. Call (828) 545-0525 or request a free in-home assessment.
Fireplace help in Asheville
We install and service fireplaces throughout Asheville and the rest of Buncombe County — we're headquartered right here.
Related questions
- How long does a wood-to-gas fireplace conversion take from start to finish?
- Does converting to gas take longer if my house doesn't have natural gas service?
- Is a fireplace conversion done in one visit or several?
- Does my chimney need to be inspected or cleaned before a conversion or insert installation?
- Is a wood-to-gas conversion reversible if I ever want to burn wood again?