Common Questions

Natural Gas or Propane

What is a direct vent fireplace?

A direct vent fireplace has a pipe inside of a pipe (coaxial), designed to draw combustion air from the outside through the exterior pipe and exhaust the combustion gases to the outside through the interior pipe. This is called a balanced flue system which means it can vent straight out an exterior wall, no vertical chimney is required.

What is a fireplace insert?

This type of fireplace is designed to be installed into an existing wood-burning fireplace utilizing the existing chimney. The gas burner & logs are contained in a metal box that fits into your fireplace opening and a liner goes up your chimney.

What does zero clearance mean?

Zero clearance means that combustible materials (framing etc) can be placed directly against top, bottom & sides of the fireplace. This type of fireplace is great for new construction or renovation projects where there is no existing fireplace.
*Always check installation manual as some are zero clearance fireplaces have special requirements.

What is a BTU?

British Thermal Unit- technically speaking it is the amount of heat required to raise the temperature of 1lb of water by 1 degree Fahrenheit. It is useful for comparing the energy input & output of various fireplaces.

What does input & output mean?

Input is the amount of fuel energy the fireplace will consume in one hour. The output is how much heat you are getting into the room. The difference between the two numbers is the heat lost through exhaust.

How much propane or natural gas will I use?

If you are looking at a propane fireplace with an input of  24,000 BTUS you would burn about one litre of propane in an hour on high. (24,245 BTUS in one litre of propane).
If you are looking at a natural gas fireplace with an input of 35,000 BTUS you would burn one cubic metre of gas in an hour on high. (35,310 BTUS in one cubic metre of gas)
Check with your fuel suppliers for pricing.

What is the difference between tempered glass & ceramic glass?

Tempered glass reflects the heat and doesn’t take high temperatures, whereas ceramic glass allows the heat to radiate through. Ceramic glass radiates more heat than steel or cart iron!

Are gas or propane fireplaces safe? What if the pilot goes out by accident?

Safety features are built into every unit sold in Canada. If the pilot light gets blown out, the gas valve blocks the flow of gas to the fireplace within 90 seconds.
Licensed gas fitter must install these fireplaces.

Will my gas/propane fireplace work in a power failure?

If your fireplace has a standing pilot it does not require electricity to run. It will work fine but the fan will not work. If you have an electronic ignition pilot then you will have to check your manual as some of these models have battery backup to allow operation in power failures.