cold draft, direct vent gas fireplace

[MissionMan]

I have a natural gas direct vent fireplace in my home which was built in 2011. There is a cold draft coming from the fireplace which makes the surrounding granite ice cold. Who knows how much heat this is sucking up as well. We use it occasionally especially on holidays or when we have company.

I looked around for some type of flue or some way to close it as it seems it is wide open. no luck though.

thoughts?



36CDVZRRN

owners manual here...

Parts for TRIBUTE 36CDVZRRN | Majestic | Heating And Ventilations

 

[mach14604]

Mine does the same thing. Mine is flush with the wall so i have no step or something like that. Mine is coming from the outside because it hangs off the side of the house and comes from underneath and how it is framed. I have been wanting to put some type of insulation in or around it because I have been worried about it catching fire some how.

 

[velocicaur]

Ours does the same thing. It's been turned off the last couple of years.

 

[CobraBob]

Do you mean you can't find the damper? The damper is a plate that closes to prevent inside air (heat) from escaping upward. I'm guessing it has no damper because it's a gas fireplace. When I installed a gas log set in my brick fireplace, code required the installer to bolt/lock the damper wide open. I could not close the damper when not using the fireplace. When I removed the gas log set, the first thing I did was unbolt the damper so that I could close it and not lose heat up the chimney.

 

[YJSONLY]

On a direct vent there is no damper.... And it being a vented log (no ODS pilot) you are kinda stuck. Do you have glass door on it ?? Or can they be added to help some?..... I have direct vented systems they are terrible by design!

I play Hank Hill everyday.

 

[YJSONLY]

Do you mean you can't find the damper? The damper is a plate that closes to prevent inside air (heat) from escaping upward. I'm guessing it has no damper because it's a gas fireplace. When I installed a gas log set in my brick fireplace, code required the installer to bolt/lock the damper wide open. I could not close the damper when not using the fireplace. When I removed the gas log set, the first thing I did was unbolt the damper so that I could close it and not lose heat up the chimney.

I hope this is a vent free burner?!????!? With a ODS (oxygen depletion system/ sensor ) pilot system! If not please open it back up!

 

[ford fanatic]

Mine was the same way for years. This past summer I installed a pellet stove in the basement and removed the exhaust pipe from the gas fireplace that sticks out of the side of the house and blocked everything off to keep it better insulated. My house was built in 06, and there was no damper in mine either.

Funny that my wife mentioned this morning that she felt a draft coming from the old gas fireplace...

 

[bmyles]

Yeah my fire place is the same way as with my garage heater it's retarded

 

[007snake]

My company just solved this problem for a client. The problem is the area behind the gas fireplace should be sealed and insulated like the rest of the house. You need to have the fireplace removed and make sure all of the walls around above and below are insulated and finished drywall is installed, any pipe penetrations should be caulked. A flame retardant membrane should be installed prior to the reinstallation of the unit. I suggest finding a plumbing company that specializes in gas fireplaces and a local contractor if this is not something you feel comfortable doing. The direct vent fireplaces' are sealed as far as the firebox goes, so there should not be any drafts created by the flue.

 

[ford fanatic]

My company just solved this problem for a client. The problem is the area behind the gas fireplace should be sealed and insulated like the rest of the house. You need to have the fireplace removed and make sure all of the walls around above and below are insulated and finished drywall is installed, any pipe penetrations should be caulked. A flame retardant membrane should be installed prior to the reinstallation of the unit. I suggest finding a plumbing company that specializes in gas fireplaces and a local contractor if this is not something you feel comfortable doing. The direct vent fireplaces' are sealed as far as the firebox goes, so there should not be any drafts created by the flue.

I get what you are saying, and I was in behind my fireplace while taking the vent out, and it was sealed/insulated pretty good. But imagine it's 20 degrees out and your fireplace is not running and there is nothing there to stop 20 degree air from filling up your fireplace. The marble harth and marble around the fireplace is very cold to the touch. It radiates cold almost like heat would radiate from it while it's hot. I hope that all makes sense.

 

[Mr. Mach-ete]

My company just solved this problem for a client. The problem is the area behind the gas fireplace should be sealed and insulated like the rest of the house. You need to have the fireplace removed and make sure all of the walls around above and below are insulated and finished drywall is installed, any pipe penetrations should be caulked. A flame retardant membrane should be installed prior to the reinstallation of the unit. I suggest finding a plumbing company that specializes in gas fireplaces and a local contractor if this is not something you feel comfortable doing. The direct vent fireplaces' are sealed as far as the firebox goes, so there should not be any drafts created by the flue.

This is what I was thinking. I've been called to a few customer's houses with the same complaint only to find the cavity behind the FP with no insulation.

 

[MissionMan]

thanks folks, looks like there is no damper. it is a glass face that seals to the front of the firebox. hard to see whats going on behind the firebox. im hoping its insulated, if not that is pretty dumb.

 

[MissionMan]

i wonder if leaving the pilot on would offset the cold draft?

 

[007snake]

I get what you are saying, and I was in behind my fireplace while taking the vent out, and it was sealed/insulated pretty good. But imagine it's 20 degrees out and your fireplace is not running and there is nothing there to stop 20 degree air from filling up your fireplace. The marble harth and marble around the fireplace is very cold to the touch. It radiates cold almost like heat would radiate from it while it's hot. I hope that all makes sense.

A lot of times home energy audits reveal that something like that is the gas line penetration has not been caulked. I would pop open the panel under the front of the unit and look.

 

[mach14604]

i wonder if leaving the pilot on would offset the cold draft?

I does some but not a great deal.

 

[007snake]

thanks folks, looks like there is no damper. it is a glass face that seals to the front of the firebox. hard to see whats going on behind the firebox. im hoping its insulated, if not that is pretty dumb.

and it not only needs to be insulated, but drywalled and taped- that is the part that we find not done most often.

 

[CobraBob]

I hope this is a vent free burner?!????!? With a ODS (oxygen depletion system/ sensor ) pilot system! If not please open it back up!

:lol1: I should have made my post more clear. When I removed the gas log set I also removed the gas line and propane tank. It's back to a being a regular fireplace.

For your application, I didn't know that a direct vent gas fireplace doesn't have a damper.

 

[capnkirk52]

Mine had the same problem. I had to get a vent kit for it because the tube that came down from the chimney had a puncture in it and the cold air was getting sucked back down and cooling the bricks around the unit.

We got the vent tube replaced and it works like new.

side note* this was also causing improper venting of the propane and would leave a smell in the house.

 

[bmyles]

So what difference dose it make if the back is insulated or not? You have a open 4 inch hole in your wall.

 

[hoamskilet]

Ours does the same thing