In Fairview, this is propane country, large wooded lots where many homes run propane and wood. On a sealed propane unit, a wet firebox is usually condensation or a failed vent termination. On the popular wood-burning fireplaces and stoves, it is rain down a flue whose cap or crown has failed. Creosote-laden chimneys that miss fall sweeps corrode faster, too.
Propane and wood define the diagnosis
Fairview's large wooded lots out Cane Creek Valley and Garren Creek run on propane and wood far more than natural gas. On a sealed propane direct-vent fireplace, water inside is typically condensation collecting between uses or a vent termination seal that has let weather in. On the wood-burning fireplaces and stoves that are so popular here, a missing cap or a cracked crown lets rain fall straight down the flue and pool in the firebox, the same open-chimney path as any masonry hearth.
Creosote and skipped sweeps make it worse
Because wood heat is natural on these wooded lots, creosote buildup is the leading cause of chimney fires here when fall sweeps get skipped, and a chimney coated in creosote and neglected up top is also one whose cap and crown quietly corrode and start letting water in. The annual sweep and the annual leak check go hand in hand; catching a failing cap during the fall service keeps rain out all winter.
Fifteen minutes east
Fairview is a short run from our Emma Road showroom, in Buncombe County. We inspect propane and wood systems alike, find the real entry point, and repair it before standing water rusts the firebox. Call (828) 545-0525.
Fireplace help in Fairview
We install and service fireplaces throughout Fairview and the rest of Buncombe County — just 15 minutes east from our Asheville-area showroom.