What size propane tank do I need to run a gas fireplace?
In Black Mountain, downtown and most of the Swannanoa Valley run on a natural-gas main, so a fireplace there taps the utility and skips the tank entirely. Head up into Montreat's wooded lots or the coves off the main and you're on propane — where a fireplace alone fits a 120-gallon stationary tank.
The main runs out at the tree line
Black Mountain proper is gas-main country, but Montreat's shaded, moisture-holding lots and the higher hollows were never reached by the utility. That's where propane comes in, and the valley's temperature inversions — mornings 10 to 15 degrees colder than Asheville — make the tank choice matter. Cold pools here, and cold is exactly when a too-small cylinder can't turn liquid propane to vapor fast enough and the flame falls off.
Sizing for the cold pocket
A fireplace by itself draws only 20,000 to 40,000 BTU an hour, so a stationary 120-gallon tank covers it with room to spare and rides out an inversion morning without losing pressure. If that same tank also feeds a furnace or water heater, the fireplace is trivial next to them and you're already looking at 250 gallons or more.
We size the line, they size the tank
Your propane supplier owns the tank; Steady Flame runs the licensed gas line, permitted through Buncombe County and pressure-tested. We're 15 minutes east of the showroom — 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.