Gas fireplaces, fire pits and chimneys in Peoria

Peoria incorporated on June 7, 1954, and had 4,792 residents in 1970. By the 2020 census it had 190,985. The Census Bureau's 2020–2024 survey shows how that growth landed: 10 percent of Peoria homes are from before 1980, 43 percent from 1980 to 1999, and 47 percent from 2000 or later, with a median build year of 1999. Utility gas heats 38 percent of occupied homes, well above the 23 percent in Phoenix, and 76 percent are owner-occupied.

That 1999 median sits almost exactly on the date A.R.S. 9-500.16 set for Valley cities: after December 31, 1998, new fireplaces had to be gas or electric log units or meet EPA standards. A Peoria house built in 1996 may have a wood-burning factory-built fireplace. One built in 2001 almost certainly has a gas firebox. At the free inspection we read the rating plate, light whatever burns gas, and tell you plainly which kind you own.

How to tell which side of 1998 your fireplace is on

Look for a gas key valve on the wall or floor beside the hearth, a pilot assembly under the logs, or logs that are bolted to a burner pan. Any of those means gas. A metal firebox with a damper handle and loose grate, and no gas fitting anywhere, usually means a wood unit from before the rule. The rating plate settles it, and so does the permit year if you have the original paperwork.

It matters because the parts are different. A wood unit needs a sweep (priced at the inspection), firebox and damper checks, and a cap. A gas unit needs its pilot, thermocouple and burner looked at, which HomeGuide puts at $100 to $350 for a pilot assembly and $150 to $350 for a thermocouple when one fails.

Vistancia, Trilogy and the north Peoria build-out

Vistancia is a master-planned community the City of Peoria describes at about 7,100 acres, and its 55-plus section, Trilogy at Vistancia, opened in 2004. Like most of north Peoria toward Lake Pleasant, which the city annexed in 1996, these homes were built with gas fireplaces in stucco chases, and many added an outdoor fireplace or fire table on the patio.

Outdoor burners take the worst of the climate. Monsoon storms from mid-June through September push dust and debris into the burner ports and fire glass, and nobody lights them again until fall. Diagnosis of an outdoor fireplace or gas fire pit is free, and the repair is priced at that visit. Many master-planned communities have CC&R rules on fire features, so check your HOA's architectural guidelines before adding or moving one.

Old Town and Westbrook Village

The older streets around Old Town Peoria and the Westbrook Village retirement community on the Sun City side hold more of the pre-1999 houses. Here we see worn damper cables, cracked refractory panels, and owners asking whether to keep burning wood or switch. HomeGuide's range for converting a wood fireplace to gas runs $1,500 to $8,000 depending on whether it is a log set or a full insert and how far the gas has to travel.

Where we work in Peoria

Old Town Peoria · Vistancia · Trilogy at Vistancia · Westbrook Village · Lake Pleasant area · P83 district