5 Common Mistakes Contractors Make When Installing Your Fireplace - eFireplaceStore

[@Z-Ack]

I got a home with an addition and a gas fireplace. They used a ridge vent as the chimney vent.. im not sure thats up to code or not but is a cathedral ceiling and they put in the ridge vent and built a u channel out of 1x6 on the ceiling to channel the fireplace.. ridge vent is 15 feet long.. the issue i have is since there is a ridge vent on a cathedral ceiling with only the 1x6 in between the conditioned air and outside air, there is condensation building up and causing mold to develop on the drywall ceiling and wood.. i dont use the gas fireplace because the stupid vent and i dont trust it. But the mold is too much so im going to have to remove the vent, fill in the channel with firestop foam then install some kind of chimney like a simple double wall 4" tube with a cap and boot .. bitch of it is they built the entire wall the fireplace is on out of flag stone.. so theres a good 1 foot by 2 foot hollow leading up to a metal enclosure directing the air to the ridge vent.. i dunno what they were thinking because i dont get how any air was supposed to create the negative pressure for the chimney to work properly without blowing the carbon monoxide right back in on a windy day.. theres no flu only the built in one on the gas insert.. some people arent all there i think..

[@Jenna1814]

I would like to put a gas fireplace in my living room but the wall it would be on would put the back of it in the garage. Is that ok?

[@eFireplaceStore]

This is fine if it is vent free but you definitely need insulation to prevent cold air from drafting in. If it is direct vent, that is also fine, but I would enclose the vent pipe & vent it vertically through the roof. It can not pull air from the garage and enclosing the vent pipe will prevent any possible intrusion of combustible vapors into the venting.

[@deanbraden7695]

Music drove me crazu

[@DB-gq7wv]

Shouldn't have anything combustible around fireplace. Steel studs, cement board and thermal rated insulation only with no paper back. To smooth cement board I prime first and 3 coats of compound. Sand and paint.

[@eFireplaceStore]

Installation methods vary widely between manufacturers and unit types. It is very common for high-efficiency wood burning models, vent free gas units, and high output direct vent models to require the installation of steel studs above and adjacent to the unit, as well as cement board for a certain area around the fireplace opening. Some wood burning models are so high in output that they mandate no combustible material be used for the first 80 inches above the base of the unit. Some enclosures must also be ventilated to allow trapped heat to escape to the surrounding areas. For lower output gas units, such as the direct vent model shown in this video, it is common for the manufacturers to allow combustible framing directly along the sides of the unit, with nailing flanges provided to secure the fireplace, and a combustible header allowed to run across the standoffs along the top of the unit. Allowable wall surface material varies. Some models allow paper-faced drywall to abutt the face of the unit, while others require an apron of cement board. Manufacturers typically build in a very healthy safety margin during research and development of each model and strive to meet the best compromise on ease of installation vs. cost of materials. That being said, they will never compromise safety and when in doubt, the manufacturer's installation instructions should be followed exactly.