Fireplace Xtrordinair reviews, help chosing fireplace

[andy4600]

Hello all,

I am currently looking at 3 different gas direct vent fireplaces for a new construction. The goal is heat for when the power goes out, and to knock the chill off in the mornings. A fireplace for looks is nice, but this is secondary. The fireplace is going in an approximately 16 ft x 16 ft living room, with a vaulted ceiling.

I have narrowed it down to these 3 models:
Fireplace Xtrordinair 564 HO
Fireplace Xtrordinair 864 TRV
Heatilator Caliber (or maybe Caliber NXT)

Which of these are going to work out best for my purposes? Which are most reliable?

I am leaning towards one of the Xtrordinair models, as I cannot find a dealer in my area that has the Heatilator on display, and I like to see things if I can.

My concern is that there are a few very negative reviews about Fireplace Xtrordinair and Travis Industries on the web, particularly with their control system. Are these negative reviews a concern now? Anyone have experience with any of these models? Thank you.

 

[murray1113]

Hi Andy,

We install lots of Fireplace X fireplaces, so I may be bias, but we've never had an issue with any of the components or the control system. Our customers are always very happy with this brand, and the remote control system is one of the more intuitive designs on the market in my opinion.

We're not heatilator dealers so I don't have any experience with them, but another downfall of not having a dealer nearby is that it may be harder to get parts.

As for which model, I'd be concerned about over heating your space. I live in northern New Hampshire in a 900 sq ft house, we only need 40,000 btu's for the whole house in the coldest part of the winter. If you put a 35,000 btu heater in your 250 sq ft living room you may find it only can be used on the low setting other wise it gets too hot. One of the nice features of all the fireplace X products is their huge turn down ratio, usually in the 70% range, so you can really keep it on low and it won't over heat.

In my opinion I'd go with the size that fits better in your space, the 564 or 864. If you are going to use it as a back up heat source for more than just your living room then I could see where the extra btu's would come into play.

Good Luck!

 

[andy4600]

Hi Andy,

We install lots of Fireplace X fireplaces, so I may be bias, but we've never had an issue with any of the components or the control system. Our customers are always very happy with this brand, and the remote control system is one of the more intuitive designs on the market in my opinion.

We're not heatilator dealers so I don't have any experience with them, but another downfall of not having a dealer nearby is that it may be harder to get parts.

As for which model, I'd be concerned about over heating your space. I live in northern New Hampshire in a 900 sq ft house, we only need 40,000 btu's for the whole house in the coldest part of the winter. If you put a 35,000 btu heater in your 250 sq ft living room you may find it only can be used on the low setting other wise it gets too hot. One of the nice features of all the fireplace X products is their huge turn down ratio, usually in the 70% range, so you can really keep it on low and it won't over heat.

In my opinion I'd go with the size that fits better in your space, the 564 or 864. If you are going to use it as a back up heat source for more than just your living room then I could see where the extra btu's would come into play.

Good Luck!

Yes, Overheating is a concern, and the 564 or 864 is appealing to me for the very reasons you listed. Our house will be about 2000 sqft, so as an emergency heat source these would meet the need.

My other option is a Superior DRT3035. This is what my builder normally installs. However, I have concerns that this would not be enough heat when I really need it, at only 15,000 BTU's. Plus, I have some other concerns about that unit.