Will I need a bigger gas line or meter to add a fireplace to my house?
Sometimes, and it's the first thing we check. Adding a fireplace increases your home's total gas demand, so we add up every appliance's BTU load and compare it against what your existing meter and main line can deliver. Often there's headroom and we simply branch off the existing system. If you're already near capacity, you may need an upsized line, or the utility may need to set a larger meter.
We tally the whole house, not just the fireplace
Before we promise anything, we do a load calculation. Every gas appliance you own has a BTU rating — furnace, water heater, range, dryer, existing logs — and your meter and service line are sized to feed all of them running together. A fireplace adds 20,000 to 40,000-plus BTU to that total. Most of the time, especially in homes that were built with a little headroom, there's room to branch a new line off the existing system and you'll never notice a difference. We'd rather find out where you stand on paper than discover a starved appliance after the fire's installed.
When the fix is bigger than a branch line
If your home is already running close to its meter's capacity — common in houses that have added appliances over the years — the new fireplace can push you over. Then the answer is one of two things: we upsize the supply line so it delivers the extra volume, or the gas utility sets a larger meter and, occasionally, a bigger service from the street. On the natural-gas mains around Asheville, Hendersonville, Fletcher, and Arden, the meter and service belong to the utility, so we coordinate that upgrade with them and handle everything on the house side — the piping, the permit, the pressure test, the connection.
Propane changes who you call
Out in propane country — Fairview, Candler, Brevard, and the cabins tucked up the mountain roads — there's no utility meter; the limiter is your tank, its regulator, and the line to it. Adding a fireplace can mean upsizing the regulator or the line, or coordinating with your propane supplier on tank size. We handle the piping and appliance side and work alongside your supplier so the whole system carries the new load. The honest answer is we won't know until we look — and the look is free. Call (828) 545-0525.
How we can help
Related questions
- What size gas line does a fireplace need?
- Can you add a fireplace to a house that has no gas service?
- Can a gas fireplace run on propane if I don't have natural gas service?
- Can the gas line to a fireplace be concealed inside the wall or floor?
- Do you need a plumber or a licensed gas contractor to run a gas line for a fireplace?
- Can I put a gas fireplace in my bedroom?
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