Trade Tips

Wireless thermostats can work with most contemporary furnaces. They are particularly useful in the installation of a heating insert or a new efficient gas fireplace where an existing thermostat is already installed and finished, and where it would be difficult to wire to a new location that would not be affected by the heat of the gas fireplace. A wireless unit can bypass these issues. If you are planning to install a smart system in your project, almost all gas fireplaces, whether millivolt or line voltage, can be linked to the smart system with relays. When planning an exterior fire pit, fire feature, or a fireplace in a public space, remember to allow for a timer switch to avoid the possibility of the unit being left on for lengthy periods of time. If using an electronic ignition unit, any line voltage timer will do. For millivolt systems, there are timers made specifically for fireplaces. When planning to install a flat screen TV above a fireplace, be sure to check the clearances of combustibles above the fireplace. If possible, design a mantel or a deflector into the finish to prevent heat from the fireplace from washing up over the screen. Also, if you can, recess the screen into the wall, further protecting it from heat. The control systems of mid- to high-range direct-vent fireplaces are becoming increasingly sophisticated. Some systems require electronic power, so be sure that power is roughed-in to every installation location. Many times a client will want a gas fireplace, but venting space restrictions make the installation impossible. An increasing number of manufacturers now supply power vent systems that provide ventilation over distances up to 100 feet. These systems allow for many turns, including the ability to turn down. This flexibility increases the design potential of fireplaces. Electronic ignition and smart systems: Many homes, especially in the custom market, have smart systems installed to control all the operational elements in the house, including gas fireplaces. When installing a fireplace, consider installing a unit with electronic ignition instead of the usual standing pilot system, as the electronic ignition systems are much easier to interlock with smart systems. Electronic ignitions are also more energy efficient as there is no pilot burning when the fireplace is not in use. Hide that ugly vent cap: Modern houses often use framed-out rectangular shaped chases to contain the venting for vertically vented fireplaces. The venting usually extends a foot or more above the top of the chase and consists of unsightly aluminum colored venting and a cap. Some manufacturers have premade chase-top shrouds to mask the venting. These provide a more aesthetically pleasing cap for the top of the chase. Direct vent installation: When installing a new direct vent fireplace, decide on your finishes before placing the fireplace. This way, the back framing can be set up to accommodate the finish surface in relation to the front of the fireplace. Also consider sinking the fireplace into the floor, if appropriate, to accommodate your hearth finish. Challenging vent clearance issues: When faced with a difficult vent clearance location in a roof, install a direct vent fireplace. Unlike other chimney systems, which require that the top of the vent have two foot clearance above any part of a roof within 10 feet, most vertical terminated direct vent systems only require 18 inches of clearance above the roof and to a wall, without the ten-foot rule. Venting, venting and more venting: Venting is a reoccurring subject for sure, but one of utmost importance. When planning fireplaces for new construction or renovations, if you do not leave up to twenty inches of space for vent runs, you are restricting your choice of fireplaces. There have been many advances visually and functionally in gas fireplaces over the last several years. Some of the higher quality fireplaces – both sealed direct vent and open vented fireplaces - use venting from over ten inches, up to fifteen and-a-half inches. The venting, depending upon the specifications, can require up to two inches of clearance. Leave enough space and you will have a full range of choices. Rocks or logs: black interior, textured interior, black porcelain interior, brick interior. An increasing number of higher quality direct vent fireplaces are giving consumers more choices in interiors, styles of burners and wall liners. In some cases you can install the body of the fireplace with the venting and choose the interior components at a later date when the interior design is more defined. These options also introduce the possibility of changing the interior of your fireplace, simply for the sake of variety. Allowing for venting: A common problem we face with new custom-made houses is the restrictive space allowed for venting. This has greatly reduced the choice of fireplaces available for the customer. Unlike seven or eight years ago, there now exists a large choice of quality gas fireplaces with large openings and large flame patterns. Too often we see this choice taken off the table because not enough space in the framing has been left to accommodate the larger venting some of these fireplaces require. Allow 20" X 20" of vent and clearance space per fireplace vent run and you can never go wrong. In some renovations we encounter, there are plans to add additional gas fireplaces, BBQ outlets, and potentially other gas appliances, while the existing gas line has an inadequate energy supply. To upgrade, we would have to run pipes through a finished part of the house. This situation occurs for the most part in older homes where gas is delivered in what is called “inches pressure”, which limits the capacity of the internal lines in a house. In most areas, you can have the supplying utility upgrade the delivery to the house to a higher two-pound pressure, thus increasing the capacity of the existing lines. Once this is done, you will have to install regulators at the appliances to get the gas back down to inches pressure (the operating pressure for all appliances). Base and Trim: Zero clearance wood burning fireplaces, by the required nature of their construction, have a base beneath the fireplace floor of usually seven to eight inches. This forces the finished design to incorporate a raised hearth. If you want to use a zero clearance fireplace and have a hearth that is flush with your finished floor, you can drop the firebox into the floor, as long as you provide adequate support and frame out in front of the fireplace for a non combustible sub-hearth, usually with poured masonry much the same as was done in older homes. Check your local building codes for the depth of hearth required, as well as the manufacturer´s specifications for particular hearth requirements. Many zero clearance fireplaces and almost all-efficient gas inserts are available with trim for three or four sides that overlaps beyond the body of the fireplace. Many people, when planning their finishes of stone or tile, run the chosen finishes up to the fireplace trim, butting to it. This usually creates an unsatisfactory transition point between the metal surround and the finish. The better way to finish is to pull the fireplace forward slightly and have the metal trim overlap onto the tiles or stone, providing for a much cleaner finish. In this vein, if you have a zero clearance fireplace and are looking to butt a finish to it, look to employ a trim to clean things up. Venting: When installing zero clearance wood-burning fireplaces with minimal height vent runs, you are opening up the possibility of a smoking or back-venting fireplace, even when the chimney is installed to the required specifications. Venting is based upon the heat in the chimney creating a draft and pulling up the smoke. Wrap the chimney in a 2100-degree heat blanket to help keep the chimney warm and encourage better venting. Venting: On the same subject of venting, sometimes a chimney will not vent even though the specifications and calculations are correct. In these cases, you have a negative pressure issue, which can be a combination of a tight house and exterior atmospheric conditions creating a down draft. There are powered draft inducers available on the market that can be installed on the top of a chimney and switched on only when needed to ensure drafting. If you are using a zero clearance gas or wood fireplace with a smooth face (radiant front), you can achieve a hearth that is flush with the inside of the fireplace and your finished floor by sinking the fireplace into the framing. The only thing you must do is take special care that the framing and the material directly in front of the fireplace is composed of non-combustible materials, much as you would for a masonry fireplace. Once a fireplace has been specified, many builders will frame the openings for both the fireplace and the venting to the exact framing dimensions provided by the fireplace manufacture. This invariably causes difficulty when the fireplace is installed: imagine trying to shoehorn a large heavy steel box into an exact space, let alone install the venting and hook up the gas line. Leave lots of room to install the fireplace and venting, get them installed well before the drywall, then back frame once the fireplace is installed. This will allow for quicker, cleaner, hassle-free installations and make the setup for finishes much easier to deal with. Be sure to properly insulate and install a vapor barrier behind the fireplace if installed on an exterior wall. This should be done prior to the installation of the fireplace, along with the installation of drywall, with no need to tape. Also, even if building code does not require it, if you have a chimney chase rising above your roof for running a flue, insulate all the way to the top. This will keep the pipe warm, cutting down on condensation caused by excessive heating and cooling and leading to the pipe rusting. Regardless if the fireplace is wood or gas, the hotter the flue is at the top, it will draw better and will be more efficient if vertically vented. If your plans for renovating an existing fireplace or for creating a new fireplace involve tiling or stone work, make sure you take into account the trim or frame around the fireplace when preparing the layout. Metal or steel trim on fireplaces will often extend beyond the body of the fireplace, and if not taken into consideration, can cover up any tile or stone work you may want exposed. If you are frustrated by the stock sizes of trim available for the fireplace you have chosen, which occurs often with fireplace inserts, we can usually fabricate a custom-sized trim to suit your needs. These custom trims can also be completed with a variety of colors and finishes. If you are planning to install a heat-efficient fireplace, you should consider how this will affect your present heating system. If possible, incorporating the heating output into your system to capture the maximum efficiency is ideal. If you have an existing zone-heating system, this is easy enough to do by adjusting the zone control in the area of the fireplace. If you have a forced air system, you can close down the registers near the fireplace, or if possible, close down the ducts in the fireplace area to allow the other areas of your house to heat up faster. When installing a heat-efficient gas fireplace, it is a good idea to install a thermostat to control it. You can use the thermostat manually or set it to control your room temperature. If the fireplace is installed near your existing thermostat, you may want to have that thermostat moved to a less affected area of the house. Most qualified gas installers can do this work as part of the fireplace installation. Ascertain your clients or your design requirements early so that venting and frame sizing can be accommodated. Especially vent chase sizing. Find out what your client is primarily interested in - mainly decorative, heat efficient or both. Check out installing a clean faced, zero clearance wood burning fireplace with a gas log set installed into it as the best looking option. Check out the latest models of direct vent fireplaces for there improved log sets, clean faced fronts and cast iron finishes. Drop into a fully equipped showroom to update yourself on new looks and technology. Actually go and see a unit operating prior to purchasing, better still have the client see the fireplaces in operation. If roughing in gas lines make sure the sizing is adequate to support the gas fireplace(s) chosen. If installing zone heating and high efficiency gas fireplaces - look at using the fireplaces as part of the heating system, or at using gas fireplaces as the primary heating system. Gas fireplaces in bedrooms require thermostats which are available in basic styles, programmable or remote control. If you have a seemingly impossible venting situation, you can look at the possibility of power venting a fireplace up to 100' out through a side wall. Have an installer experienced with the set up of gas fireplaces for your fireplace installations. Gas fitters usually are very experienced in running gas lines - but not specifically the installation and setup of fireplaces. Make sure adequate clearances are left from combustibles to the venting. Be sure the surround and mantel materials chosen conform with the codes and clearances for the fireplace to be installed One of the most common problems we face when a client is choosing a fireplace for their new home or renovation is the space and clearance allowed for venting. Many open, more decorative-style fireplaces require larger venting sizes, sometimes involving up to twenty inches of clear space. Too often, the final choice of a fireplace is left until after vent chases have already been framed up. This restriction in vent sizing can lead to a compromise in design, affecting the focus of a room. Decide on a fireplace style early in the process before the framing is done, or if that's not possible, make sure to leave generous clearances that allow for the option of installing large venting sizes if needed. Most prefabricated fireplaces, wood or gas, have a base six to eight inches in height. This base sets the opening of the fireplace above the floor level. If you want to have your opening at ground level, have the floor framed out to set the fireplace into. Also, be sure to frame out the hearth area in front of the fireplace to accept non-combustibles, similar to what is done with a masonry fireplace. One gas fireplace design that successfully creates the look of having no base is the Town and Country. A "B" Vent appliance uses air from inside the home for combustion and the vent system must travel upwards and be vented out through the roof. "B" Vent appliances can be heating units, such as sealed inserts or purely decorative units, such as open fronted, zero clearance fireplaces. Sufficient make-up air should be available or installed in the home to replace the air used for combustion and venting. Direct Vent (DV) appliances are sealed fireplaces, which use a vent system that draws in outside air for combustion. A direct vent system brings in fresh air through one vent and exhausts the flue gases out through another, separate, but equal length vent. The system is usually configured with a co-axial vent pipe (a pipe within a pipe) but can sometimes configure with a co-linear vent (2 pipes side by side) system. Direct vent technology is often referred to as a balanced flue system. A direct vent system can vent either vertically through the roof or through an outside wall. One of the misconceptions about fireplaces is the need for high-input units (30, 40 or even 50,000 BTU's). The question should be, what do I need for the room in which the unit is installed, and how efficient is the unit I'm burning? It should be noted that most fireplaces are at their most efficient when firing at or near their maximum input. This is important to remember: If you install a 30,000 btu high- efficiency unit in a room that only requires a 20,000 BTU unit, not only will you lose efficiency, you will lose the effect. Switching from wood to gas: When purchasing a gas log set for a wood burning fireplace, always get a unit that has a switch-capable valve that can accommodate a wall switch or remote control. Units that are strictly manual in operation can be awkward to operate when heated up. Switching from wood to gas: When getting a gas fireplace installed in an existing wood burning fireplace, have the chimney cleaned prior to the installation, as the creosote can drop down over time, burning and reburning, creating an unpleasant smell. Vent chases: As fireplace suppliers and installers for new construction, one of the most common problems we face is in the sizing of vents for framed chases. All to often, the chase has been choked down so that it can only accommodate a small B-vent. Many customers envision as big and as realistic a gas flame as possible, which requires larger vent sizes - up to 20" clear. Unfortunately, once the vent chases have been framed, the choice of gas sets is reduced to basic mediocre arrangements due to the now restrictive vent sizing, leaving these customers disappointed. When designing and framing for fireplaces, allow generous space for the fireplace and the venting. You can always close down the framing, but it is difficult to increase the space allowed once framed. Timing: In conjunction with vent sizing, the other issue we often face as suppliers and installers of fireplaces is in the timing of the installation. We often find that the fireplace installation is needlessly complicated by leaving the installation until the last moment, just before drywall is to be installed - or worse, after the drywall is installed. This often causes needless complications both for the installation and the finishing. All too often, the wiring, plumbing, or ducting has been run through the fireplace and venting areas, requiring work to be redone. And because the fireplace dimensions are often not allowed for in the framing, either adjustments to the existing framing or adjustments to the finished plan must be done. Get your fireplaces chosen and installed early, this way work can be easily coordinated around the fireplace and venting, and the back framing and finishing can be laid out only one time Most prefabricated zero clearance fireplaces have a certain amount of exposed steel that has to be dealt with. In many cases, the manufacturers will provide different trim options such as brass or stainless steel to cover up the exposed black steel. Many people, not wanting the pre-finished trim option, simply leave the black metal exposed, leaving the fireplace finished in an often unsatisfactory manner. When choosing a fireplace, check carefully for the finishing characteristics and clearances of the model. Not all fireplaces are the same: Some fireplaces allow you to finish over the exposed metal with non-combustible right to the opening or glass of the fireplace, and some come with radiant panel options to increase the amount of fireplace that can be covered up. This area of criteria for choosing a fireplace should be weighted equally with all others when choosing a fireplace. With increased efficiencies of gas fireplaces and the prevalence of sealed direct vent fireplaces, the heat of the fireplace glass has become an increasing concern for children. Some fireplace manufactures now offer screen options in various designs that prevent direct contact with the hot glass. When choosing a fireplace for an environment where small children are present, consider the safety option of a protective screen or other barriers. Finishing around the edges: Often after the completion of a wood or gas fireplace installation, black metal bits are found left exposed. In many cases, these exposed pieces of metal can be covered up with whatever non-combustible surround you are using. If you are unsure, check the installation manual of your fireplace and ask your fireplace representative. This way, you will maximize the look of your finished product. Improving the draw: If you have a minimal rise for your open B-vented or A-vented fireplace and are concerned if the fireplace will draw, make sure you have plenty of insulation in your chimney chase and high temperature insulation wrapped around your pipe to keep the flue warm. The warmer the flue, the better the draw. Install the fireplace and venting prior to finishing off the back framing. Whenever the wall framing is finished in advance of the fireplace installation portions of the framing, it will inevitably have to be cut out and adjusted to suit the fireplace and the finishes. Get the fireplace in place first, then finish off the framing to suit the finishing. Make the decision on the fireplace early and get it installed before other trades start running pipes, wiring, and ducting through fireplace and vent locations, thus compromising the choice and the installation. The fireplace is usually a central focus of a room, so make the process of installation a priority after the roof goes on. Fireplaces finishes and trims: Know your finish surfaces and fireplace trims before setting up your fireplace in new construction or renovations where zero clearance fireplaces are being used. Often finishes around a fireplace are compromised because the fireplace has been installed either too far back or too far forward to properly accommodate the additional fireplace trims, special fronts, tile or mantel. Mantel selection: Don't go off and purchase a mantel before the fireplace is chosen. If using pre-manufactured fireplaces, make sure there is one to fit before you buy an (often) expensive and non-adjustable surround, or the whole effect could be substandard with a badly matched fireplace and surround. Venting profiles on the roof: With open gas fireplaces, as with wood burning fireplaces, the chimneys must rise above the roof at least two feet from the highest point within a ten-foot radius. This can result in venting profiles rising above the roof in an unsightly manner, especially in steep pitch roofs. A solution to this is to use one of the many new clean-line direct-vent fireplaces now available whose venting only has to be eighteen inches above the nearest eighteen inches of roof. Tight space solutions: If you have tight space for a fireplace or a vent run, or want a compact heat efficient fireplace, consider an efficient insert installed into a purpose-made zero clearance box and vented with four inch B-vent. Vancouver Gas Fireplaces is North America's leading wholesaler and innovator of custom fireplace design and implementation. VGF provides the most comprehensive website for architects, builders, designers and renovators.