What should I do if I smell gas near my fireplace?
Arden's 1980s-90s homes in Royal Pines and Skyland mostly have open masonry fireplaces, many now fitted with gas logs whose aging valves can seep. On the natural-gas mains here, if a rotten-egg smell lingers, leave without flipping a switch, get outside, and call your gas utility or 911. Then reach us at (828) 545-0525.
Tired open hearths and the fittings inside them
The open masonry fireplaces across Skyland, Royal Pines, and Glenn Bridge were built to burn wood, and over the years plenty have had a vented gas log set added — which puts a valve, a flex connector, and a pilot assembly in a firebox that also pulls a strong draft. Those fittings are the usual source of a slow leak, and the draft up an open chimney can move the smell around a room in ways that fool people. Biltmore Park's retail and office spaces add their own gas features to the mix.
On the mains, so it rises
Arden is on the natural-gas main, so a real leak is lighter than air and climbs toward the ceiling — you'll usually catch it at head height, not down at the floor. A faint sulfur note the first time you light up in the fall, gone in a minute, is usually just dust burning off. A persistent rotten-egg odor is the opposite of that: everyone out, nothing switched on, and a call to the utility or 911 from the driveway. Don't relight the pilot to try to burn it off.
Fifteen minutes south, and the licensed fix
Once the utility has shut the gas off and confirmed the air is clear, the repair is licensed gas-contractor work in North Carolina — our lane, not a showroom's or a mason's. We locate the leak with instruments, repair it, and pressure-test the line before fuel goes back on, permitting with Buncombe County when required. A lot of Arden homeowners use the visit to ask about a sealed insert, which ends the draftiness of a tired open fireplace and retires those aging log-set fittings. Arden is about fifteen minutes south of our showroom; call (828) 545-0525.
Fireplace help in Arden
We install and service fireplaces throughout Arden and the rest of Buncombe County — just 15 minutes south from our Asheville-area showroom.
Related questions
- How do I check my gas fireplace for a gas leak?
- Who should I call about a suspected gas leak — the gas company or a fireplace technician?
- Where is the gas shutoff valve for my fireplace, and how do I turn it off in an emergency?
- Can a gas fireplace explode?
- Why does my gas fireplace smell like gas while it's running?