Direct Vent Gas Fireplace
Direct vents are sealed gas fireplace systems of high efficiency. How do they work? The fresh air is pulled from the house’s exterior using the flue and is burned within the confines that are located in the combustion chamber. The products of the combustion are isolated from the home and they exit to the outside. This fireplace can be mounted either horizontally on an outside wall or vertically on the roof. If installed on a roof, it will minimize heat loss since it will use a chimney; this feature yields an average of 70% efficiency through radiant heat and dry convection. The fireplace that is sealed directly will not backdraft or spill by-products of combustion into the house, so they are qualified for baths as well as bedrooms.
The majority of direct vent gas fireplaces are designed to operate with a thermostat control. Homeowners can therefore easily set the desired temperature by using the thermostat. With these systems the fireplace will automatically turn off or on according to the temperature that is set on the thermostat. Most gas fireplaces are tested to comply with wall furnace standards. Some models even have exterior systems called heat by-pass that provide the homeowner with the option to reduce the heat inside the house without the need of reducing the height of the flame. It has a by-pass system that enables you to vary the fireplace heat output. Since you are varying the incoming gas, the flame height will increase naturally while on the high setting and decrease while on the low setting.
The majority of models of this type of gas fireplace are produced with a standing pilot. This is a millivolt system that comes as a standard feature. These pilots also do not require any electricity in order to generate power. They are also great secondary heat sources and can be installed in any room of the house or between the rooms; that said, it’s ideal to place them in corners in order to save space.
Further, the majority of direct vent gas fireplaces can be easily converted between types of fuel they use. For example, you can very simply convert it from using liquid propane to natural gas, or the opposite. When buying one, you might also encounter a term called “zero clearance.” This means that zero inches are required between the combustible materials and a fireplace. Because of this, the framing dimensions of this type of gas fireplaces are highly minimized, thus allowing the placement of the unit either on the interior or exterior walls.
If you’re interested in purchasing one of these units, you’ll have to check with the local building code authorities. This will be the main prerequisite before beginning installation. If you have never done this type of job before, do not try to do it by yourself; instead, you should hire a professional to do the installation for you.