What's the best way to convert a wood-burning fireplace to gas?
Mars Hill splits two ways, and so does this answer. Near the university, owners convert rentals to switch-operated gas so the heat doesn't depend on tenants managing wood. Out in Spring Creek and Gabriels Creek, homes already on propane or wood convert to LP inserts that hold their own on some of the colder nights in our service area. Both begin with a licensed gas line.
Rentals by the university
Academic-year demand around Mars Hill University concentrates on fireplaces that are easy to live with — which is precisely what a wood-to-gas conversion buys a landlord. No firewood on the porch, no creosote riding on a tenant's diligence, heat at a switch, and a unit that shrugs off a house that empties out over breaks. A sealed insert also runs safely in tight, renovated spaces where an open wood fire would be a bad roommate. It's the same logic that fills our fall schedule with landlord calls.
The valley homes that heat for real
Out the creek valleys, this is one of the colder spots we cover, and rural homes there already trust propane and wood. Converting a wood fireplace to a sealed LP insert keeps the heat serious while ending the hauling — and if outage resilience is the point, radiant inserts like Valor's L1 and L2 series run with zero electricity, no blower and no circuit board to fail when the lines go down. Propane setup is its own discipline — regulator, orifices, pressures — and it's exactly the licensed work we do daily.
One crew from line to flame
In North Carolina no showroom, handyman, or delivery crew can legally connect fuel — the gas line is a licensed gas contractor's job, and we permit and pressure-test every line we run, then meet the inspector. Mars Hill is a 30-minute run north from our Asheville showroom at 629 Emma Rd. Call (828) 545-0525 for a free in-home assessment, or start with [our backup-heat guide](/guides/backup-heat-power-outage-wnc) if grid-down heat is what brought you here.
Fireplace help in Mars Hill
We install and service fireplaces throughout Mars Hill and the rest of Madison County — just 30 minutes north from our Asheville-area showroom.