What do I need to do to get my gas fire pit running again after it sat unused all winter?
In Black Mountain, Swannanoa Valley inversions leave mornings 10 to 15 degrees colder than Asheville and Montreat's wooded lots stay damp and shaded, so a pit that sat all winter needs its burner pan dried and drained first. Then clear the ports and venturi of spider nests and check your fuel connections before the first burn.
Shaded, damp, and slow to warm
Montreat and the wooded slopes around town keep patios cool, shaded, and moisture-prone, and the valley's late frost dates mean spring comes late. All of that keeps water sitting in a pit's burner pan and orifices weeks longer than in a sunnier spot, and the tree cover drops leaves that plug the drain holes. Dry the pan, clear the drains, and brush the burner ports before you look at fuel. If the igniter is soaked or corroded, it won't spark until it dries out and gets cleaned.
A natural-gas town, but check your setup
Black Mountain is on the gas mains, so some pits here are hard-piped natural gas. Those have no tank to gauge, but they do have a buried line, a shutoff valve, and an ignition module to inspect. Portable propane pits, still common, get the tank, hose, and regulator check and a soapy-water test on the fittings. Either way, re-spread the lava rock evenly so it isn't smothering the burner ports and throwing a lazy, sooty flame.
15 minutes east
We're just 15 minutes from the showroom, so a service call is easy. A buried natural-gas line is licensed work, permitted with Buncombe County and pressure-tested, and a mason or landscaper legally can't make that connection. If the flame won't settle or you found damage, call (828) 545-0525.
Fireplace help in Black Mountain
We install and service fireplaces throughout Black Mountain and the rest of Buncombe County — just 15 minutes east from our Asheville-area showroom.
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