What is a Direct Vent Fireplace?

I was on site at some new construction in Bellbrook and wanted to discuss fireplaces. The picture most of us have in our minds when we think of a fireplace is the traditional masonry (hand built by a brick mason) fireplace with the brick chimney that Santa slides down. Maybe you’ve heard the term Direct Vent or Zero Clearance when the subject of fireplaces comes up. These are very different from a masonry fireplace and they don’t even have a chimney for Santa!  Direct vent fireplaces are what most builders are using these days in new construction. They are far cheaper to make, install and maintain. 

They arrive prebuilt to the construction site and are unboxed and installed kind of  like an appliance. They are constructed of a metal frame and the firebox has a cement based liner that mimics the look of brick. They vent straight out the side of the home through an exhaust pipe so having the expense and maintenance of the old traditional chimney is eliminated. They can run off of gas or just be a simple wood burner.

Where they really shine is their efficiency. A masonry fireplace ends up pulling a lot of air out of your home during operation. That air goes straight up the chimney. If you pull air out of the home you have to have air coming back in to replace it. This is called ‘make-up air’ and on a cold winter day this make-up air is pulled in from cracks under doors, through electrical outlets, from drafty windows, etc. This is inefficient because you keep pulling in cold air from the outside. A direct vent fireplace pulls in its combustion air  from outside directly to the unit. It does not pull the cold make-up air through your home.  It does this from a pipe used in conjunction with the exhaust pipe we talked about earlier. 

When you are looking at homes your Realtor should be able to help you identify the types of fireplaces and how they work.  If not, reach out to me for the best service.  I work Kettering, Bellbrook, Beavercreek, Centerville and many surrounding cities. 

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