Direct Vent Gas Fireplace Inserts

BTU is an acronym for "British thermal unit", and it is a measurement of heat produced by burning fuel. The general rule of thumb is 35 BTUs heats one square foot; therefore 35,000 BTUs = 1,000 square feet of heating area for a 100% efficient appliance. Because direct vent appliances vary in efficiency, the heat output will vary as well. For example, if you have a direct vent appliance with a BTU input rating of 28,000 and an efficiency of 78%, you will need to divide that input rating by .78 to determine the actual BTU output. The output for this appliance is then 21,840 BTUs in total, which then leaves us with the ability to heat approximately 620 square feet.

You would measure the brick opening of the fireplace (Width, Height, and Depth of the opening).

Unfortunately, there are no direct vent inserts configured for a see-through fireplace.

I would normally advise that a service call may be the best route in order to extend the life of your fireplace, but this model has a Honeywell valve that is no longer available. If a local technician decided that the best course of action will be to replace the valve as it sounds as though it may indeed require replacement, the only option will be to replace the entire system anyway, so you could spare the expense of a service call and just look into replacing the entire fireplace as replacing the valve would likely not rectify the issue with low flame height. However, I will recommend paying close attention to the product literature for any replacement fireplace you are considering as hearth manufacturers are more concerned with the fullness of the flame and flame appearance than they are with flame height. Proper combustion via the proper inlet gas pressure, air shutter adjustment and vent design will result in the most realistic flame aesthetic and max Btus for any direct vent hearth system out there. Too high of a flame can be an issue as it will create a dirty burn. If the flame shows any black tipping resulting from excessive gas pressure without the proper amount of oxygen provided via the (primary) air shutter or (secondary) venting, the inner combustion chamber (glass and valve components) will develop a buildup of soot, leading to operational issues with the fireplace. Also, the exterior wall of a structure may show this sooting if the air to fuel mixture is not proper for the fireplace.

We do not offer any direct vent inserts that could be installed in a fireplace opening with these measurements.

To find an installer in your area go to www.nficertified.org.

With direct vent inserts, the pipe will be colinear and will run up to the top of your chimney. You will indeed need 120V to power the blower.

The efficiency will vary depending on the model selected.

Direct vent gas fireplaces will have a blower as a standard feature. This is because of the design disadvantage of an insert having most of the chassis in the fireplace and behind the surround. The blower helps to pull heat from the chassis that would otherwise accumulate in the fireplace opening behind the surround. That being said, the blower does not have to operate as part of the design. It could simply be left idle.

You will not find a suitable model in the "fireplace insert" category in question because these models may only be installed into an existing masonry or prefabricated wood burning fireplace. You will need to select a Direct Vent Fireplace and no, these fireplaces do not have to be vented vertically and may be vented completely horizontally out of the rear or horizontally with a minimum rise off the top.

The fireplace and venting components are no longer in production, so I would simply recommend choosing a replacement with framing dimensions equal to, or slightly less than, the current framing dimensions of 36" W x 39" H x 15" D. Unfortunately, the venting will need to be replaced as well. One of the 33" Superior Direct Vent Fireplaces would be my suggestion.

As long as the dimensions of the chimney flues are large enough to accommodate the pair of 3 inch aluminum vent liners that are required by the inserts, you could certainly complete the retrofit for each fireplace.

Of course, fuel costs will vary widely with usage habits but the usage costs of our propane inserts will average around $0.80 to operate per hour.