Quadra-Fire QVI30S, Travis Industries (Avalon) DVS, and Valor Legend G3 Inserts

Hi Everyone,

I'm considering installing a gas insert into a ZC metal fireplace in my 936 s.f. ranch style home that is well insulated. After doing a bunch of research and visiting local dealerships, the 3 gas inserts in the Topic Title are of interest. I'd enjoy reading about people's experiences with these inserts.

Thanks everyone for the posts.

An installer has confirmed that the Quadra-fire will fit. The Avalon DVS looks like it will too. Less sure about whether the Valor will fit.

Choosing between the QF and the Avalon is proving difficult. Both look nice in the dealer showrooms. The new Green Smart edition of the Avalon has some significant new features including wide flame turndown and remote control of the pilot.

Efficiency ratings remain an important consideration in my purchase decision:


Canadian P4 Test AFUE
Fireplace Efficiency (FE)% %

Quadra-Fire QVI30S 72.7 71.2
Avalon DVS 63.7 72.1
Valor Legend G3 66.4 65.7


Note that the Avalon ratings are based on tests performed prior to the Green Smart edition. The new Green Smart has not been tested yet according to the manufacturer.

So its not clear whether the Green Smart is really any more efficient than its forebear. That's troubling because it would be nice to install the most efficient insert possible (excepting the Empire Mantis for now). Also a minor concern is that even the older Avalon DVS is not in the Natural Resources Canada efficiency ratings despite having been around for a while. The manufacturer provided my local hearth retailer the FE% number at my request for which this poster is grateful and hopeful that it is accurate.

One thing about the Quadra-fire that is a concern is that its BTU input range is narrow at 22k-32k btus. So one would think that it will cycle a lot in my 936 sf well insulated ranch style home. It also makes a bit of a "whoop" sound when it cycles on. Not loud in the dealer showroom but it might seem louder here at home. Both the Green Smart Avalon and the Valor are claimed to turn down to the 6500-7000 btu area. I'll need to return to their showrooms to check whether they are more quiet than the QF on ignition.

I've been heating with Delonghi portable baseboards on an interim basis because the house HVAC ducts are in bad shape and even if they were perfect the furnace is noisy, cycles a lot, and just blows a lot of hot air around. The Delonghis are nice compared to built-in baseboards because they can be placed some distance away from exterior walls for less heat loss. Also they have 600 watt and 900 watt low and medium power settings so convective heat slowly rises all the way from the floor. That's got to be a lot more efficient than scorching hot 220v baseboards bolted to exterior walls directly beneath windows!

Anyway prior winters have shown that the house needs about 1800-2400 watts of Delonghi power in the main living area of about 700 square feet to hold 72F inside when outside its 32F. And few are the days here in Portland where it stays below freezing for a 24 hr period. If my calculations are correct, most of the time much less than 12,000 input btus will be needed from the prospective Gas Insert assuming 70% efficiency.

So one would think the QF will cycle quite a bit. On the other hand 60-something percent FE ratings are troubling. Of interest was my trial run of the Valor. The display was set up so one could peek around the side and see the back of the unit. One could also touch the twin 3" coaxial vent tubes. The exhaust tube was scorching hot to the touch. That experience combined with the published efficiency ratings of the Valor only reinforced an interest in maximum efficiency. So perhaps I'll go with the QF rather than take chances with the Green Smart.

Thoughts?