What's the best way to convert a gas fireplace back to wood-burning?
It depends on what "gas" means in your fireplace. If it's a vented gas log set sitting in an original masonry firebox, going back to wood is straightforward: we remove the logs, cap the line as licensed gas contractors, and a chimney inspection and sweep clears the flue for wood. If it's a sealed gas unit or insert, you're replacing equipment, not just removing logs.
The easy case: logs in a real masonry fireplace
If someone set vented gas logs into an original wood-burning masonry fireplace — which we see constantly in older Asheville and Hendersonville homes — the bones for wood are probably still there. The work: remove the log set and burner, disconnect and cap the gas line (licensed work in North Carolina, and exactly our lane), and remove the damper clamp that gas-log installs use to hold the damper open, restoring full damper operation. Then, before the first match, a proper Level 2 inspection and sweep. That flue hasn't handled wood-fire temperatures in years — firebrick, damper, liner, and crown all need a look, because wood burning is a different animal than a lazy decorative gas flame.
The harder cases: inserts and sealed gas units
A gas insert means pulling the unit and its liner, then evaluating what condition the original firebox is really in behind it. And if your "fireplace" is a direct-vent or gas-only prefab unit, there's no going back inside that box — it was never built to contain a wood fire, and no modification makes it safe to try. The honest path there is replacement with a true wood-burning fireplace: the Regency Grandview G600C, a 42-inch radiant unit that kept people warm through Helene, or the Superior WRT4500 if you want EPA-certified wood burning without a premium price tag.
Why folks are switching back
We get this call more since Helene. Days without power taught a lot of WNC homeowners that wood is the gold standard of grid independence — heat you own outright, no pilot, no electronics, just a dry woodpile. We'll give you an honest read at a free in-home assessment; sometimes the right answer is keeping the gas where it is and adding a wood stove elsewhere. Call (828) 545-0525.
Related questions
- What's the best way to convert a wood-burning fireplace to gas?
- Who makes the best wood-burning fireplace?
- What's the best high-efficiency wood-burning fireplace?
- What is the best firewood to burn in a fireplace?
- What's the best way to get more heat out of an existing wood-burning fireplace?
- What is the best gas fireplace brand?
Still deciding? Talk to a real installer.
Free assessments across Western North Carolina — no pressure, straight answers.