Venting & Installation

Proper ventilation provides greater operating efficiencies with

each stove, fireplace and insert, as well as providing a home that is free of potentially harmful by-products of burning fuel products.

Proper installation is not only necessary for the performance of your new stove, fireplace or fireplace insert, but is necessary for your safety. Ace Hardware & Hearth installs what we sell. We use our own technicians and installers who understand the importance of delivering legendary Ace service. For more information and pricing on having Ace install a hearth in your Maryland home, click the price quote button below.

Each appliance type (gas, wood, pellet) uses venting indigenous to that type. For detailed information on chimney systems, venting and installation, click the link below:

No Chimney? No Problem! 1-2-3 Instant Fireplace

Choose the location in your home. Be sure there is access to the outside from the wall you choose.

Select a fireplace. Choose from a wide range of Ace Hardware & Hearth fireplace packages.

Pick the perfect mantel. Finish your fireplace with one of many completely finished mantels.Direct Vent technology means you no longer need an expensive, elaborate chimney. Simply vent your fireplace through an outside wall.

Direct Vent Gas Fireplaces

Direct vent fireplaces, stoves, and inserts do not require a chimney and take just a few hours to install.

Direct vent uses a 7″ diameter pipe with a 4″ pipe inside. The inside pipe is used for exhaust and the outside pipe is used for air intake. Direct Vent models do not use any air from inside the house for combustion.

Direct vents often vent up a few feet and then elbow out through the wall. Some units vent straight out through the wall. Either type can also be vented through the roof. Direct vent fireplaces:

Have an inner pipe that vents the exhaust.

Can either vent out the top or out the back, for installation versatility.

Can vent horizontally through an outside wall, or vertically through the roof – no chimney required!

Are ideal for adding warmth & efficient heating to a cold room.

Are generally certified as gas wall furnace for highest efficiency.

Are zero clearance to combustibles.

Are easy to install, have space-saving depth, but requires finishing such as a mantel and surround.

Are suitable for well-insulated homes or homes with no existing chimney.

Always have an enclosed front.

Are the best choice for newer, more air-tight homes.

Gas B-Vent

B-Vent pipe is 4″ in diameter, and is used for exhaust only. B-Vent models use air from the room for combustion. B-Vent models must vent above the roof line. They can either vent straight up through an existing chimney (in which case a less expensive flexible liner can be used) or through the wall and then up above the roof. Gas B-Vent fireplaces and stoves:

Use room air for combustion and venting terminates above the roofline (like a furnace).

Are more decorative with lower efficiencies.

Are zero clearance to combustibles.

Are relatively easy to install, space-saving depth, but requires finishing such as a mantel and surround.

Can be large traditional fireplaces in clean-face or circulating models.

Are ideal for locating anywhere in the home where B-vent can be installed.

Gas Vent-Free

A vent-free gas fireplace operates without a chimney, flue or vent, so you can install one just about anywhere. Vent-free fireplaces operate on natural or propane gas. Most models require no electricity. Natural or propane gas fuels the flame through a permanent line that is connected to a blue-flame/yellow-flame burner or ceramic plaque burner within the heating appliance.

The primary gas combustion by-products that can affect indoor air quality are carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, nitrogen dioxide, oxygen and water vapor (humidity) when new or serviced annually by a qualified technician. Because a vent free appliance can put up to a gallon of water vapor into a home very four hours it is burned, in regions that are known to be humid, vent-free could lead to mildew or mold issues. Using a dehumidifier while in use may minimize this hazard. Also, people with sinus sensitivities or asthma may see their symptoms exacerbated by using a vent-free appliance. If pets are in the home, you may smell the airborne dander being burned and returned to the living space.

Today’s vent-free fireplaces operate well within nationally recognized standards and recommendations for all five by-products.American Gas Association Research Division confirms these low emission levels.

Vent-Free Safety

Oxygen Detection Safety-Pilot. Since 1980, vent-free gas heating appliances have been equipped with a unique safety-pilot system called an oxygen detection safety-pilot, or ODS. The ODS is the proven technological innovation that revolutionized the safety of vent-free gas heating appliances. The ODS automatically shuts off the gas supply in the rare event that the oxygen level in the room falls to 18 percent. Questions remain about the long-term effect of vent-free gas fireplace emissions on indoor air quality. In 1995, the Vent-Free Gas Products Alliance of the Gas Appliance Manufacturers Association (GAMA) commissioned a study on indoor air quality as it relates to vent-free gas heating products in the home. The results proved that vent-free gas heating products meet or exceed the most current and applicable nationally recognized standards and guidelines for indoor air quality. Even so, the Hearth, Patio & Barbecue Association recommends the installation of a carbon monoxide detector with all gas hearth products.

Wood Burning Stove and Fireplace Venting

Wood burning fireplaces are naturally vented three feet above the roof of a house or a minimum of two feet above any point of the structure within a ten foot radius. Depending on the fireplace selected, this venting can occur through a masonry or stainless steel, Class A type all-fuel chimney system. Click the link below to see a complete Wood Burning Fireplace Fact Sheet from the Hearth, Patio & Barbeque Association.

Pellet Burning Unit Venting

Proper venting is essential for proper appliance performance, dwelling safety, maintenance frequency, and indoor environment. Pellet stoves produce little or no visible smoke after startup, but exhaust gases, fine ash, and water vapor must be removed safely from the appliance to the outdoors without leaking into the house. The purpose of all vents is removal of combustion by-products during normal operation. For most designs, the exhaust is mechanical: a fan blows the combustion by-products out and pulls air needed for combustion into the fire.

Source: gamanet.org

Ace recommends industry trained professional install all venting systems. Permits may be required.