What time of year is best to have a chimney swept?
Mars Hill runs two clocks, and both point to a late-summer sweep. The rural Spring Creek and Gabriels Creek valleys lean on propane and wood, which build creosote and want a real inspection; the university-area rentals fill up when the semester starts. Book August into early September to be ready before the colder-than-average nights and the students arrive.
Wood and propane country
Out in the Spring Creek and Gabriels Creek valleys, homes rely on propane and wood rather than a gas main, and wood-burning is where creosote — the real chimney-fire risk — accumulates. Those flues need a proper sweep and a careful inspection, not just a glance. Propane hearths, meanwhile, want their own annual appliance service to keep lighting reliably.
As a licensed gas contractor, we service and pressure-test the propane side, and if a repair surfaces we permit it rather than leaving fuel work to a handyman.
The university calendar
Around Mars Hill University, the rental houses lean on easy-use gas fireplaces and fill back up when the academic year starts. Late summer — before the students return — is the practical time to get those units serviced and any masonry swept, while the houses are still empty and the schedule is open.
At 2,350 feet Mars Hill runs colder than the valleys below, so the season arrives early and those fireplaces get pressed into service fast. We're 30 minutes north of our Asheville showroom. Call (828) 545-0525 to book before the fall rush.
Spring, if you'd rather
Sweeping right after you stop burning clears acidic creosote — heaviest on the wood-burning flues out in the valleys — before the humid summer, and removes nesting material before spring wildlife moves in. You start next season clean and inspected.
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.