Our Process
Inside a vent repair on your Heathrow fireplace
Joints that lock the way they should
Direct vent sections join with twist-lock connections. In the DirectVent Pro instructions the male end goes into the female end until the locking lugs are covered, and the female end is turned an eighth of a turn to lock. Screws are optional and allowed only where they do not penetrate the inner wall of the pipe, and no sealant is needed unless the appliance maker requires it.
A joint that was never fully locked, or one that has separated, lets exhaust escape before it reaches the outside. Our team checks the accessible joints on the vent from your Heathrow fireplace, relocks or replaces what has loosened and confirms that no screw has pierced the inner pipe.
What a Type B vent is for
Type B gas vent is made for listed Category I gas appliances with draft hoods. DuraVent's Type B instructions list gas fireplaces among the appliances that use it and say it must not vent Category II, III or IV appliances, oil-fired or wood-burning appliances. Florida's fuel gas code requires vents to be listed and labeled, with Type B vents listed to UL 441.
If your Heathrow fireplace is a natural vent model, our team confirms from its manual that Type B is the specified vent and that the pipe installed is the listed product it names.
Household chemicals and vent corrosion
The Type B instructions describe a cause of corrosion that has nothing to do with the vent itself. Where spray cans or solvents are used heavily, as in laundry areas or paint shops, halogenated compounds get into the combustion air and form corrosive compounds when they are burned.
If the room around your Heathrow fireplace doubles as a hobby space or stores cleaning products, our team mentions it. The instructions' answer is to isolate the appliance or bring its air from outside or from an uncontaminated area.
Snorkel terminations for tight spots
Some installations need the vent to rise outside the house before it ends. DuraVent offers snorkel terminations for applications that require vertical rise on the exterior of the building, as part of the same listed system.
Whether a snorkel is allowed depends on the appliance's venting limits. If the termination at your Heathrow home sits too low or too crowded, our team checks the manual for approved options before proposing one.
