Will a gas insert seal off the drafts and old smoke odors coming from my open fireplace chimney?
Yes, and in Candler it fixes two things at once. The basic builder-grade fireboxes in these fast-growing subdivisions draft heat out and let a stale smoke smell drift back — and down in the Hominy Valley bowl, where air quality matters, a sealed gas insert closes the open flue for good. Liner and surround panel cap the draft; the odor clears with it.
Basic boxes owners outgrow fast
Candler's fast-growing subdivisions came with basic, decorative builder-grade fireboxes, and owners here tend to want a real heat-producing upgrade within a few years. The open masonry ones are the problem children: unlit, they still draft warmed air up the chimney, and on humid days the creosote inside sends that old smoke smell back into the room. The open box that looked fine at closing is the one costing you heat by the second winter. A sealed insert answers both the wasted heat and the odor.
Cleaner air in the Hominy Valley bowl
Hominy Valley's natural bowl traps air, which is exactly why a clean-burning, fully sealed appliance is attractive here. A [gas insert](/services/gas-insert-installation) caps the chimney with a stainless liner and seals the firebox face with a surround panel, so combustion is sealed and direct-vented — nothing spills into the room, the draft stops, and the smoke smell is gone. Where the open hearth ran a net heat loss, the insert commonly runs 70% efficient or better.
Fuel, license, and permit
Gas service reaches parts of the growing Enka-Candler side, while more rural Hominy Valley and Pisgah Highway lots run on propane — and we set the insert up for whichever you have. Connecting either is licensed work: we pull the Buncombe County permit, pressure-test the line, and meet the inspector. We [inspect the flue and size the liner](/services/fireplace-inspection) first, 15 minutes west of our Asheville showroom. Call (828) 545-0525.
Fireplace help in Candler
We install and service fireplaces throughout Candler and the rest of Buncombe County — just 15 minutes west from our Asheville-area showroom.
Related questions
- Does replacing an open wood fireplace with an insert improve the air in my house?
- Can an unused fireplace or chimney cause moisture and mold problems in the house?
- Why do I smell smoke in my house when the fireplace isn't even burning?
- Does a direct vent gas fireplace use the air in my room for combustion?
- Do gas fireplace inserts burn cleaner than gas log sets?