Heatilator Novus vs Heat N Glo 6000

[MJ14]

Hello everyone. I have a few questions I am hoping to get some help with. My wife and I are looking at installing a gas fireplace in our new home. We have a quote for a few different fireplaces already but we are looking for some guidance. We know basically nothing and don’t even really know what kind of questions to ask to be honest.

The neighborhood that we live in, the builder is installing slimline 7 series heatnglo fireplaces. Our neighbors have one and we do like the look of it. We are currently looking at a Heatilator Novus 36” and a HeatNGlo 6000C series. Comparing the two we are looking at with the Slimline 7 our neighbors have, it looks like the Novus has the lowest BTUs and is the least efficient.

The 6000C seems to be the best option of the 3 between the Novus, 6000C, and the Slimline our neighbors have. We have been quoted $1600 for the Novus installed and $2200 for the 6000C. The only downfall to the 6000C is that it takes up the most depth in the room. The slimlines at our neighbors is obviously very thin. The Novus is 3” deeper and the 6000C is another 2” on top of that.

I guess with all that said, I’m just looking for some opinions hopefully. Is it worth it to upgrade to the 6000C over the Novus? How does the Novus/6000C compare to the Slimline? It would seem the 6000C is the best option of them all, as it has everything the others have with higher BTU and more efficiency.

 

[DAKSY]

The HnG SL7 is a "Builder's Model" & is a good basic, no-frills unit.
The Novus line is a step up, but I think you will really
enjoy the features & heat of the 6000.
I installed at 6000TRX-I in 2004 & its 40K BTU has
been used to heat our main floor, virtually trouble-free for 16 years.
Unfortunately, I can't upgrade to the features of the newer 6000s,
but we are quite pleased with the unit. YMMV...

 

[MJ14]

The HnG SL7 is a "Builder's Model" & is a good basic, no-frills unit.
The Novus line is a step up, but I think you will really
enjoy the features & heat of the 6000.
I installed at 6000TRX-I in 2004 & its 40K BTU has
been used to heat our main floor, virtually trouble-free for 16 years.
Unfortunately, I can't upgrade to the features of the newer 6000s,
but we are quite pleased with the unit. YMMV...

Thanks for responding. I was actually really hoping that you would as you seem to be extremely knowledgeable and helpful, so thank you. Our living room is 18' long by 14' wide and it's an open concept so the living room goes right into the kitchen and eating area which is a pretty good size itself. Our whole downstairs is about 1400 sq ft. Do you think the depth of the fireplace will make that much difference from the slimline's that the builder is installing? It's only just under 6" which seems like it won't be huge size the living room is 18 ft long.

 

[DAKSY]

How will it be installed?
Can you recess it into a wall?
Can you have a corner installation?
Here's ours.

 

[MJ14]

How will it be installed?
Can you recess it into a wall?
Can you have a corner installation?
Here's ours.

The builder who is doing the other houses is framing them out into the room basically. I wanted a corner install, but at this point that is not an option unfortunately. We were basically told that we had to frame it into the house, but now I see a comment you had made a few years ago about a wall cabinet. Your set-up looks great! Right now we have a flat exterior wall, and we have a gas line stunned out into the center of the wall. Does heat n glo still offer a cabinet we could use with the 6000 series? If we went that route, would we have to build any kind of frame for it or would we just have to vent it and hook up the gas line? Which we would have a professional do.

 

[MJ14]

This isn’t a great picture, but it gives you an idea of how the builder is installing them right now. This is my neighbors set-up with the slimline.

 

[DAKSY]

The builder who is doing the other houses is framing them out into the room basically. I wanted a corner install, but at this point that is not an option unfortunately. We were basically told that we had to frame it into the house, but now I see a comment you had made a few years ago about a wall cabinet. Your set-up looks great! Right now we have a flat exterior wall, and we have a gas line stunned out into the center of the wall. Does heat n glo still offer a cabinet we could use with the 6000 series? If we went that route, would we have to build any kind of frame for it or would we just have to vent it and hook up the gas line? Which we would have a professional do.

You don't need a Heat N Glo Corner cabinet.
There are manufacturers of quality products out there.
Google is your friend or you can check with your builder's Hearth Shop.
I framed mine in to secure the fire place & built a deck above it for the TV.
Then I installed a flat wall mantel.
I was going to go with a raised fire place, but my significant other at that
time, pooh-poohed the idea.
Look at the install manual for what ever unit you decide upon.
That will show you the acceptable installation guidelines.
Go here:

Fireplace Installation + Owners Manual Downloads | Heat & Glo

Heat & Glo installation manuals are provided as PDF downloads. Select your model number to find the installation manual for your fireplace.

www.heatnglo.com

 

[MJ14]

You don't need a Heat N Glo Corner cabinet.
There are manufacturers of quality products out there.
Google is your friend or you can check with your builder's Hearth Shop.
I framed mine in to secure the fire place & built a deck above it for the TV.
Then I installed a flat wall mantel.
I was going to go with a raised fire place, but my significant other at that
time, pooh-poohed the idea.
Look at the install manual for what ever unit you decide upon.
That will show you the acceptable installation guidelines.
Go here:

Fireplace Installation + Owners Manual Downloads | Heat & Glo

Heat & Glo installation manuals are provided as PDF downloads. Select your model number to find the installation manual for your fireplace.

www.heatnglo.com

So basically I could Google a cabinet with the dimensions of the Heat N Glo 6000? Would I need anything other than a cabinet if I went that route? Sorry for all the questions, I just know basically nothing at all about it.

 

[DAKSY]

The cabinet will have a larger opening than the size of your fire place.
If you look at the pic of ours, You can see the marble "surround,"
which consists of a hearth, 2 legs & a header.
The surround fills in the gap between the mantel opening & the front of the fire place,
with a small overlap ONTO the front of the unit to make sure the look is correct,
& there are no gaps uncovered. Show my pic to your builder. He will know what
to do, based on the unit you choose & the mantel & surround you want installed.

 

[MJ14]

The cabinet will have a larger opening than the size of your fire place.
If you look at the pic of ours, You can see the marble "surround,"
which consists of a hearth, 2 legs & a header.
The surround fills in the gap between the mantel opening & the front of the fire place,
with a small overlap ONTO the front of the unit to make sure the look is correct,
& there are no gaps uncovered. Show my pic to your builder. He will know what
to do, based on the unit you choose & the mantel & surround you want installed.

Am I correct to assume that if I went with a cabinet like this: https://www.shopchimney.com/monessen-kda48dba-kenwood-corner-cabinet-unfinished-maple.html

And then a stone surround like this: https://www.heatnglo.com/browse/mantels-and-surrounds/stone-sets

Basically what I would need to do is have someone install the cabinet, fireplace, and then whatever stone surround set we pick and there would not be much else to do?

 

[DAKSY]

Everything looks good from my point of view.
Those items will work just fine, as long as your installer
knows how to make it look good & everything
is secured & supported correctly.
Good luck with your project.

 

[MJ14]

Everything looks good from my point of view.
Those items will work just fine, as long as your installer
knows how to make it look good & everything
is secured & supported correctly.
Good luck with your project.

Thanks so much for all your help today! I’m going to reach out to two places locally here to see what they say about install.