Gas Fireplace

Gas fireplace installation in Goldsboro, part by part

Keeping a gas fireplace vent cap away from the meter and air intakes

The gas meter and regulator and any fresh air intake on the house all affect where a vent cap can go. Table 503.8 keeps a direct-vent cap 3 feet from a service regulator vent outlet at pressures up to 2 psi, and 10 feet horizontally or 3 feet above a mechanical air supply inlet.

Those distances often decide which side of the room the fireplace ends up on. Our specialists find the meter, the regulator and any intakes on your Goldsboro home during the free inspection so the location is settled once.

Running gas fireplace vent pipe through attics and insulated walls

Where a vent passes through an insulated wall, ceiling or attic, the insulation has to be held back from the pipe. Section 502.4 of the code requires a steel insulation shield no thinner than No. 26 gage that ends 2 inches or more above attic insulation, with clearance kept to the vent maker's figure.

Many vent systems include their own listed shield, installed as the maker shows. Our installers fit it where the vent enters the attic in your Goldsboro home and keep the clearance around the pipe empty.

Running a gas vent inside an existing masonry chimney

An existing masonry chimney can sometimes serve as the path for a new gas vent, under strict conditions. Section 503.6.4 of the fuel gas code says a gas vent installed inside a masonry chimney follows the vent maker's instructions and carries a permanent label warning that it is for gas appliances only.

The code also bars connecting a gas appliance to a chimney flue that serves a separate solid-fuel appliance (503.5.7.1). Our specialists check what the chimney in your Goldsboro home is already serving before planning a gas vent inside it.

The first burn of a new gas fireplace

For its first few hours, a new unit gives off a smell as the paint cures and manufacturing oils burn off. One maker's manual describes a break-in of three to four hours on high, then a full cool-down and glass cleaning, then up to 12 more hours of burning, with windows open because the smoke can set off smoke alarms.

Our crew starts that first burn with you and leaves written break-in steps for your Goldsboro fireplace, so the rest of it is easy to finish. Plan it for a day when the room can be aired out.