Our Process

Venting work for Kolokee gas fireplaces

What the Florida fuel gas code expects

Most vent questions go back to the instructions under the Florida Building Code, Fuel Gas. Section 503.2.3 says listed direct-vent appliances shall be installed in accordance with the manufacturer's instructions, section 503.6.2 says the same of gas vents, and section 502.1 requires vents to be listed and labeled.

In practice the appliance manual and the vent maker's instructions are the working rulebook for your Kolokee fireplace. Our team reads both for the unit in front of us and never carries dimensions from one model to another.

Air space between the vent and the framing

DuraVent's direct vent instructions open with a warning that a major cause of vent-related fires is failure to maintain required clearances, meaning air spaces, to combustible materials. Its Type B instructions require a 1 inch air space to combustibles around its round B-vent, regardless of pipe diameter.

Direct vent clearances vary by appliance and are set in its manual. Wherever the vent serving your Kolokee fireplace can be reached, our team checks the space around it for wood, insulation or stored items that have crept too close, and explains what has to move.

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 Kolokee fireplace, relocks or replaces what has loosened and confirms that no screw has pierced the inner pipe.

Checking the vent after a storm

Each year's Atlantic hurricane season lasts from June 1 to November 30. Wind can dent or loosen a vent cap, and debris can collect around a termination at ground level.

After a storm passes over your Kolokee home, look at the vent caps from the ground. A cap that is bent, loose, missing or blocked is a reason to leave the fireplace off until our team has checked the vent.