Q&A Advantage of blower in gas fireplace

Question:

I'm considering buying a gas fireplace and am having difficulty with the choices. The main question is should I get one with a blower? I'm impressed with Valor's flame and would like to believe that their technique is my better choice (less BTU input), but will it be as effective?



Answer:

Look at the efficiency of the fireplace to determine if the heat is being transferred without a blower. The best number if the AFUE, which is Annual Fuel Utilization Efficiency. A number at or around 70% is very good. It's true that many units are too large...sort of a "battle of the BTU's" among the manufacturers. You can use the BTU sizing guide on HearthNet to get an idea how many you might need - http://hearth.com/calc/btucalc.html


Link: Heat Calculator Link