Why does my fireplace smell like rotten eggs even when it's off?
In Mars Hill, the university-area rentals and the rural homes up Spring Creek and Gabriels Creek don't all burn the same fuel — many run on propane or wood. Whatever you're on, a rotten-egg smell from a fireplace that's off means gas is leaking. Don't spark anything. Get outside, then call your propane supplier or gas utility and us at (828) 545-0525.
Two Mars Hills, one warning smell
Around the university, rentals lean on easy-use gas fireplaces; out in the Spring Creek and Gabriels Creek valleys, homes rely on propane or wood. The mercaptan odorant that makes a leak smell like rotten eggs is added to both natural gas and propane, so the warning is the same either way. What changes is the call: propane comes from a tank on the property — reach the supplier named on it; natural gas comes through a meter — reach the utility. Propane also settles low, so it can pool near the floor when a fireplace is off.
The right moves, in order
Don't look for the leak. Leave switches, the thermostat, and the garage-door opener alone, skip the match and the phone light indoors, and get everyone and the pets outside. From a safe distance, call your propane supplier or gas utility, then 911, then us. We come out, locate the leak, pressure-test the line, and repair it before the fireplace goes back in service.
Licensed gas, in a college town or a hollow
In North Carolina, connecting and testing gas or propane lines is licensed work — and a rental full of students is no place to cut corners. Steady Flame is a licensed gas contractor serving Madison County; we permit and pressure-test the line and stand behind the repair. A one-second whiff at ignition can be normal; a lingering rotten-egg smell with the unit off is not. Call (828) 545-0525.
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.
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