Our Process

Inside a vent repair on your Winter Springs fireplace

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 Winter Springs fireplace. Our team reads both for the unit in front of us and never carries dimensions from one model to another.

One vent for each appliance

DuraVent's direct vent instructions require the gas appliance and vent system to be vented directly outside and never attached to a chimney serving a separate solid fuel or gas-burning appliance. Each direct vent gas appliance must use its own separate vent system, and common vent systems are prohibited.

Older additions and conversions can tie a vent into whatever passage was already there. Our team traces where the vent from your Winter Springs fireplace goes and confirms it runs on its own to the outside.

A yearly check of a B-vent

The Type B instructions say an annual inspection is required to maintain the vent's warranty. The cap, vent pipe, connector and connection to the appliance are inspected, the sealant around the flashing and storm collar is checked, a light is shone down the pipe for damage, corrosion or condensation, and disconnected sections are reconnected.

The instructions are blunt about damage. Damaged or corroded parts should be replaced immediately. Our team follows that list on B-vent fireplaces in Winter Springs and prices any replacement before the fireplace is used again.

Venting through block or brick walls

A wall built only of noncombustible material changes the opening around a termination. DuraVent's instructions allow a hole with zero clearance to the vent pipe through a wall of masonry block, brick or concrete only, and only where the appliance maker allows it. A wall with any wood framing needs the specified framed opening and clearance.

A wall that looks solid from outside can have framing behind it. Our team checks what the wall at your Winter Springs home is made of before cutting or resizing an opening.