Who should I call about a suspected gas leak — the gas company or a fireplace technician?
In Mars Hill, plenty of homes out in the Spring Creek and Gabriels Creek valleys run propane or wood, so a gas smell means calling your propane supplier's emergency line — or the utility in town, or 911 — from outside. They shut it off free. Repairing the leak is then licensed gas-contractor work, and that's us.
Rural valleys mean propane, and a propane call
Around Mars Hill University you'll find natural gas, but head out to Spring Creek, Gabriels Creek, or Forks of Ivy and homes lean on propane and wood. That shapes your emergency call: on LP you dial your propane supplier, not a gas utility. Everyone out, no switches or open flames, then call from outside — the supplier answers any hour, sweeps the area, and shuts the tank down at no charge. A hearth company doesn't own the fuel, so this first call can't be ours.
Then the licensed repair
Once the supplier or utility has made the house safe, the leak in your own piping or appliance is still there — and under North Carolina law, tracing and fixing it is licensed gas-contractor work. That's our lane, not a handyman's. We find it with an electronic detector, hold the run under test pressure, make the repair, retest, and relight and safety-check the fireplace before we leave, pulling the Madison County permit when the scope requires it.
Colder than most, so don't wait
Mars Hill runs colder than the valley towns, and a leak that shuts down heat in January is worth a fast, right answer. Keep our 24/7 line, (828) 545-0525, next to your propane supplier's emergency number. Mars Hill is 30 minutes north of our Asheville showroom.
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.