Why does my pilot light blow out on windy days?
In Brevard, two things gang up on your pilot: you're in propane country, where a low tank or a frosted regulator can leave the flame weak, and Transylvania's 80-plus inches of annual rain rusts dampers and caps until wind finds a way in. A gust then finishes off a pilot that was already starved. Fix the fuel side and the termination and it holds.
Propane pilots have their own weak spots
Out here the gas is almost always propane, and that changes what makes a pilot vulnerable. A tank running low, a regulator frosted over on a cold Connestee Falls morning, or an orifice sized or clogged wrong all leave the pilot burning lazy — and a lazy pilot is one a downdraft can snuff without much wind at all. So before we ever look at the chimney, we confirm the propane side is delivering steady pressure and the flame is sitting crisp and deep where it belongs.
Rain is hard on the venting
Brevard gets punished by rainfall — crowns crack, brick spalls, and steel dampers and caps rust, especially on the moisture-prone crawl spaces and chimney chases common around here. A corroded or missing cap is an open invitation for wind to load the flue and reverse the draft. On an open masonry or B-vent system that's usually where a chronic windy-day outage lives; on a sealed direct-vent unit, a weather-beaten termination or a failed seal is the tell. We inspect the whole path, not just the flame.
One licensed visit, both halves
Running or tuning a propane line and opening the sealed gas control is licensed work — a hearth showroom can't legally touch the fuel side, and we can. We service the pilot and the propane supply, correct the termination, and permit any gas work with Transylvania County. From our Asheville shop it's about 40 minutes southwest, and most of these come down to an inexpensive cleaning or a cap. Call (828) 545-0525.
Fireplace help in Brevard
We install and service fireplaces throughout Brevard and the rest of Transylvania County — just 40 minutes southwest from our Asheville-area showroom.