Sealing Heatilator vents with a gas insert

[CurlySweep]

Greetings all,

It has always been my understanding and policy that the upper and lover vents on an old style heatilator must not be sealed over. I have a customer that is quite insistent on it, since they are installing a gas insert in the fireplace, so I thought i would ask. I know that it would not be suitable for wood burning with the vents sealed but I can't seem to find the definite answer about the gas insert configuration. Thank you.

Matt

 

[Tech Guru]

well, the simplest way to put it is like this: The gas insert must be installed in a code compliant wood fireplace, be that a complete masonry site built unit, a heat form (i.e. a steel constructed firebox, with inlet and outlet circulatory system, intended for use with masonry site built fireplaces) - which is what I suspect you have - or a wood zero clearance (aka prefab) fireplace. The gist is, if the grills are required to be there if it were in use as a wood burning fireplace, they should be left unobstructed with the installation of a gas insert.

 

[bholler]

If it is a heat form or metal box in masonry you can seal off those vents as long as you use noncombustibles. If it is a zeroclearance unit you cannot and you should really check to make sure the zc unit allows for an insert of any kind to be installed in it.

 

[wastemanagementgiftcard]

If it is a heat form or metal box in masonry you can seal off those vents as long as you use noncombustibles. If it is a zeroclearance unit you cannot and you should really check to make sure the zc unit allows for an insert of any kind to be installed in it.

Hi can you please tell me how this is different from why I cant seal off my vents? Thanks.