What should I do if there's a propane shortage during a cold snap?
Swannanoa took heavy storm damage, and the rebuilds have people thinking hard about heat that works no matter what — including during a propane pinch. Most homes here are on natural gas, but if you're on a tank, schedule your delivery early in a cold snap, keep a cushion, and zone-heat the rooms you use.
Rebuilt homes, dependable heat
The recovery underway in Swannanoa has driven real demand for new fireplaces and stoves in rebuilt homes, and the lesson people took from the storm applies to a propane shortage too: you want heat you can count on when the usual supply gets interrupted. For the properties on propane rather than the gas main, that means never letting the tank ride to empty in a freeze — an empty LP system needs a leak-and-pressure test and a relight on every appliance before it's safe, exactly the kind of delay you don't want while you're still rebuilding your footing. Get the next fill confirmed while there's margin.
The valley is damp and cold-prone
Grovemont's 1940s-to-'60s homes with their original masonry fireplaces sit in a river valley where fog, cold-air pooling, and damp air are hard on chimneys, so any hearth you plan to lean on should be checked before the cold. A sealed direct-vent or millivolt gas fireplace zone-heats the main room and lets you drop the central thermostat to stretch fuel — and a millivolt or battery-backup unit keeps making heat even when the grid goes down, which is worth remembering here. We're 15 minutes east and permit with Buncombe County. Call (828) 545-0525.
Fireplace help in Swannanoa
We install and service fireplaces throughout Swannanoa and the rest of Buncombe County — just 15 minutes east from our Asheville-area showroom.
Related questions
- Can natural gas service be interrupted in extreme cold?
- Can propane freeze or stop flowing in very cold weather?
- At what tank percentage should I schedule a propane refill?
- What happens to my gas fireplace when the propane tank runs empty?
- Why does propane cost more in winter, and can I lock in a price?