Our Process
The details behind installing your Kolokee gas fireplace
Gas fireplace vent caps above walkways and driveways
Exhaust and condensation should not land on people. Table 503.8 requires a cap to be at least 7 feet above a paved sidewalk or driveway on public property and keeps it off public walkways where condensate or vapor could cause a nuisance or hazard. One maker's manual also rules out a cap directly above a paved path shared between two homes.
On a side yard or a narrow lot, those rules can move the fireplace. Our specialists check the path outside your Kolokee home before the location is settled, so the cap never ends up blowing into a walkway.
Vent run limits that change from one gas fireplace to the next
Vent rules differ between units. One direct-vent manual allows horizontal runs to be level with no rise, while one B-vent manual requires a rise of at least 1/4 inch per foot and forbids a level or downhill run. Elbow counts, maximum lengths and the ratio of vertical to horizontal pipe all vary by model.
Our installers therefore plan the route from the manual for the exact unit you choose, never from memory of the last job. The planned route for your Kolokee fireplace, with its elbows and lengths, is written on the estimate.
What a new gas fireplace sits on
Under the unit, the base has to be solid. One direct-vent manual calls for a hard metal or wood surface that extends the full width and depth of the unit, and says never to set it directly on carpet, vinyl, tile or other combustible material apart from wood. A B-vent manual gives the same rule.
Raised hearths, built-in platforms and units set into cabinetry all need that base planned from the start. Our installers build it to the manual and level the unit on it before anything is connected in your Kolokee home.
Service access built into the finished wall
Service visits will come over the life of the fireplace, and the wall around it should allow for them. Under the fuel gas code, panels, grilles and access doors that come off for normal servicing may not be fixed to the building (604.2), and appliances are to be reachable for service without removing permanent construction (306.1).
Our crew makes sure the control compartment and any access panels on your Kolokee fireplace can still be opened once the stone, tile or trim is in place. It saves tearing out a finished surround the first time the unit needs a service visit.
