Why does my gas fireplace shut down in windy or snowy weather?

Rebuilt homes and backup heat

Recovery from recent storm damage has driven real demand for new fireplace and stove installs in Swannanoa's rebuilt homes — people who lost power for days want heat that doesn't depend on the grid. That makes a wind-or-snow shutdown more than an annoyance; it undercuts the whole reason you added the fireplace.

A millivolt or battery-backup gas unit gives you power-optional heat when the lines go down, but only if its vent keeps breathing when the weather turns hard.

River fog, cold pooling, and old Grovemont masonry

The Swannanoa River valley holds fog, pools cold air, and stays damp much of the year, which is hard on masonry chimneys. Grovemont's 1940s-to-60s homes with original fireboxes, where converted to gas, can let a downdraft cool an older pilot until it drops out. On sealed direct-vent units, that same damp air freezes at the cap and blocks it, starving the burner of combustion air.

Buncombe County, 15 minutes east

We're a quick run from Swannanoa. Correcting a vent or termination is licensed gas work — Buncombe County permit, inspector, pressure test — and we'll make sure the backup heat you rebuilt around actually holds up in the next storm. Call (828) 545-0525.