Will converting my wood fireplace to gas improve my indoor air quality?
Yes, and Swannanoa's rebuilding gives a clean opening to do it. Many storm-damaged homes here are being renovated, and the Grovemont-era masonry fireplaces coming out were drafty original wood boxes that shed soot and particulate indoors. Building in a sealed gas fireplace during the rebuild removes the wood smoke from the start — cleaner air in the finished home.
Rebuild once, breathe cleaner after
A lot of Swannanoa is in renovation right now, and that's the ideal moment to convert. The 1940s-to-'60s homes around Grovemont and Swannanoa Village were built with original masonry fireplaces that draft poorly and leak fine particulate into the room every time they burn. Rather than restore a smoky old wood firebox, a rebuild lets us set a sealed gas fireplace or insert into the wall — no wood smoke, no ash, and a hearth that fits the finished home.
River-valley damp is hard on wood flues
The Swannanoa River valley pools cold, foggy, damp air that rusts dampers and degrades masonry chimneys — and a deteriorating flue is what turns an open wood fire into an indoor-air problem, drafting poorly and spilling smoke. A gas insert seals off that firebox and vents outside, so the valley's damp stops mattering. A vented log set is the lower-cost ambiance route where a full insert isn't needed.
On the gas main, Buncombe permit
Swannanoa runs on natural gas, so most conversions tie straight into the main. Connecting it is licensed work in North Carolina — the part a general contractor on your rebuild legally can't do — so we permit it with Buncombe County, pressure-test the line, and meet the inspector. We're 15 minutes east of the Asheville showroom. Call (828) 545-0525.
Fireplace help in Swannanoa
We install and service fireplaces throughout Swannanoa and the rest of Buncombe County — just 15 minutes east from our Asheville-area showroom.
Related questions
- Does replacing an open wood fireplace with an insert improve the air in my house?
- Will a gas insert seal off the drafts and old smoke odors coming from my open fireplace chimney?
- Do wood-burning fireplaces pollute the air inside your house?
- Are direct vent gas fireplaces healthier than ventless ones?
- Will converting my wood fireplace to gas reduce my environmental impact?