Will a gas insert seal off the drafts and old smoke odors coming from my open fireplace chimney?
Yes — and at nearly 2,650 feet, sealing that draft matters more in Waynesville than almost anywhere we serve. A gas insert closes your open masonry firebox with a stainless liner and surround panel, so the flue that's been venting your heat all winter is capped, the cold-air draft stops, and the old creosote smell that drifts back on damp days goes with it.
An open hearth costs you more up here
Waynesville's heating season runs about three weeks longer than Asheville's and averages ten to fifteen degrees colder, so those drafty Hazelwood open fireplaces are working against you for months. An unlit open flue keeps pulling warmed air up and out; the higher and colder you are, the bigger that steady heat leak feels on the power bill. Sealing it is the difference between a decorative hole in the wall and a firebox that actually holds heat in.
How the seal works
A [gas insert](/services/gas-insert-installation) slides into the existing firebox, a stainless liner runs the full chimney and caps the old draft, and a surround panel seals the face — so the only thing in that flue now is the insert's own sealed, direct-vented exhaust. The drafts stop and the stale smoke odor clears. Because we're a licensed gas contractor, we run the fuel line, pull the Haywood County permit, and meet the inspector, then [inspect and size the liner](/services/fireplace-inspection) for your chimney.
Heat that survives the outage
Where the open fireplace ran a net heat loss, the insert commonly runs 70% efficient or better and throws real warmth into a cold mountain house. With millivolt or battery-backup ignition it keeps heating when the power's out — the lesson a lot of Haywood homes took from Helene. Waynesville runs mixed, natural gas in town and propane up the coves, and we set the insert up for whichever you have. We're 35 minutes west of our Asheville showroom; call (828) 545-0525 for a free in-home assessment.
Fireplace help in Waynesville
We install and service fireplaces throughout Waynesville and the rest of Haywood County — just 35 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?