Who should I call about a suspected gas leak — the gas company or a fireplace technician?
In Arden, on the Buncombe natural-gas mains, a gas smell means calling the utility's emergency line or 911 first — from outside — and they shut the supply at the meter for free. Then the leak on your side is licensed gas-contractor work, and that's us, 15 minutes north in Asheville, not a handyman or the hardware store.
Aging subdivisions, aging gas hardware
Arden's 1980s and '90s neighborhoods around Royal Pines and Skyland are full of open masonry fireplaces, many later fitted with gas log sets whose connectors and valves are now decades old — and older gas hardware is where leaks tend to start. That doesn't change the emergency drill: everyone out, no light switches, nothing lit, then from the yard call the natural-gas utility's 24-hour number, or 911. They come any hour, sweep with instruments, and shut the gas off at the meter free of charge.
The repair — and often an upgrade worth discussing
Once it's safe, the leak downstream of the meter is yours, and under North Carolina law repairing it is licensed gas-contractor work. We trace it with an electronic detector, hold the run under test pressure, fix it, retest, and pull the Buncombe County permit when the scope calls for it. If we find a tired old log set behind the leak, we'll tell you honestly whether it's worth repairing or whether a sealed insert would serve you better — no pressure either way.
Close by, day or night
Natural gas means the utility owns up to your meter and you own everything past it. Save our 24/7 line, (828) 545-0525, next to the utility's emergency number — utility to make it safe, us to make it right. Arden is 15 minutes south of our showroom.
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.