Direct vent insert heating capability without power

[lethal dose]

Hey! Looking to have natural gas ran to the house and I’d like to make use of our old fireplace. In the past, we had a wood stove but were wanting to look into the gas side of things. We are looking at inserts that fit directly into an existing small masonry fireplace that vent and draw fresh air from up the chimney (I think that’s still direct vent… correct me if I’m wrong). We are wondering how effective they are at heating during a power outage when the blower can’t be used. Out house is about 1000 square feet but we wouldn’t NEED to heat the entire thing. Also, are there any makes and models y’all prefer? Thanks!

 

[DAKSY]

Yes, the unit with a double liner is a DV appliance. If the power goes out & you either have a standing pilot or an IPI (Intermittent Pilot Ignition) System, with a battery back up, you will still get a decent amount of radiant heat from the unit. That effectiveness of that heat will be dictated by the both the BTU rating of the unit & the area of the room the unit is located in. If you close doors to adjoining rooms, the room with the appliance will be the warmest. With those doors open, that heat will gradually radiate outwards, but slowly without the blower operating. For 1000 sf in a well insulated home, you may be able to get by with a 30k - 40k unit. The size of your fireplace opening may also dictate the availability of a higher BTU rated unit. There are a number of quality units out there, but of the ones I have experience with, I prefer Regency or Heat & Glo.
Hope this helps…

 

[lethal dose]

Thanks for the follow up, DAKSY. My fireplace opening is 25" across the back, 29" across the front, 24" high, 16" deep... so quite small. I looked at some regency models but looks like I’m stuck in that 20,000-25,000 btu range. I should also ask… is pulling fresh air from outside best? I see some “b” vent options labeled as direct vent, but aren’t these using room air for combustion? I think I’d like to avoid that if I can still get a decent insert to heat and work with my masonry chimney.