We're shopping around for a gas fireplace, and came across Westgate brand fireplaces, by Sherwood Industries. I've been googling to find more information about Westgate quality of build, reliability and customer support, but haven't found a single person posting about them, anywhere on the internet. Does anyone know anything about these fireplaces?
Westgate gas fireplace
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It is made by Enviro. It is their luxury line. Very nice units and realistic flame. Uses the Sit ProFlame valve. Sold quite a few of them and so far, no issues....
It is a Town and Country knock off. Sherwood Industries (Enviro) constantly copies other manufacturers. I believe they have already discontinued the line. If I wanted a Town and Country I would buy one. Same goes for a Mendota or a Valor. Not buy a copy.
Your mileage may vary.
Brad
Thanks for the input!
fueldude, we saw the Westgate DV48, and it had the most realistic fire and log set that we had seen so far, with all the remote control functions that we were looking for, and a good output range. However, it concerned me that there didn't seem to be anyone talking about them on the web.. not sure if that is a good or bad. Does Sherwood Industries have good customer support? Do you think the Westgate will be discontinued?
Brad, I have not had an opportunity to see a Town and Country, or Mendota, in person... they don't seem to have a big presence here in Ottawa.. only one Town and Country dealer here, and Mendota dealer is out of town. I will go and check them out though. I read that the Mendota often had issues with finish quality, although the DXV 45 interests me. I did see some Valors, but they didn't look as realistic in my opinion... flame was smaller, didn't have realistic embers... maybe the store displays weren't set up properly...
Right now we are leaning towards the Westgate DV48 or the Regency Bellavista, with Heat n Glo 6000 CLX and Archgard 72-DVT30N also in the running. I'm concerned with the tendency of Regency to have issues with electronic ignition in cold weather. Why wouldn't all electronic ignition systems have th same issue? I also would like to avoid any models that make "pops and thuds" when turned off, or that have make all sorts of noises when they get started. Archgard doesn't have the remote control of flame modulation that we would prefer.
Heating will not be the primary purpose, except when we have power failures during the winter, so efficiency is not quite as important, but nice. That said, we want a fireplace with a viewing area at least as large as our old Selkirk 3620(?) wood fireplace. It's being installed in the corner of a 21x14 ft room, and the sitting area is in the opposite corner of the room. We have a 2300 sq. ft. house with 8 ft. ceilings. We really like the idea of being able to have remote or thermostat controlled modulation of the flame, with a good range of output (preferably split burners). I have some concern that the Westgate might actually be too large for our room, and we won't be able to run it at full output, with the nice flames, for very long!
I have to admit it is really difficult to make the jump from wood to gas... trying to find the most realistic gas fireplace with all the bells and whistle, but quality and reliability will rule in our decision making.
I gave those three brands because they have been the most recent victims of Enviro copying. I don't know where you get your information about Mendota finish quality. Not my experience with the product.
Brad
With respect to Mendota finish quality, I was referring to these post...
Which is the better product - the Mendota FV44 or the Heat and Glow Escape 135?... We just installed a mendota and its been nice, however, we had lots of finish issues, and had to send parts back multiple times for replacement. (The burner was cracked, and the backdrop had finish problems, including bad paint, missing paint, and scratches).
Mendota DXV vs Lennox merit Plus
We just installed a Mendota, it is so beautiful, however, be aware that they seem to be having some serious problems with finish on the liners, and to a lesser degree the stove as well. Be very confident that your dealer will be someone you can work with to resolve any issues. The one we purchased was a clean view modern. It arrived with a cracked burner and the liner paint had defects, one trim piece was flawed. (Looked like a clogged sprayer). Our dealer worked with the company, and they replaced both, but the second liner arrived with a scratch, and one of the trim pieces was not painted on both sides.
They both happen to be from the same member though...
I'm not saying that Mendota isn't a good fireplace.. from what I've read on this forum, and elsewhere, I understand that they are very good, I just don't want to have to mess around with reordering parts because of minor defects or damage to parts.
With respect to Westgate being a knock-off, a company can only grow by designing new products that make use of new technologies and designs, that have often been introduced by competitors... and that's a good thing! The hope is that the product will be at least as good, or better than previous designs. If you tell me that Westgate is much inferior to say Town and Country, then that's valuable input, but just because it's a "knock-off" doesn't make it any better or worse. One advantage Westgate has over Town and Country is that it has better efficiency than Town and Country, for those of us that also want to use the fireplace for a bit of heating during power outages.. Check out http://oee.nrcan.gc.ca/pml-lmp/index.cfm?action=app.search-recherche&appliance=FIREPLACE_G... 63% vs 37%! Town and Country is strictly decorative! There aren't many fireplace lines out there, that are willing to sacrifice efficiency for ambiance... the so called "luxury" lines... for buyers that aren't looking for a primary heating source, but instead a nice realistic fire, with a realistic log set... so it's good that there are some options in that market.
Which is the better product - the Mendota FV44 or the Heat and Glow Escape 135?... We just installed a mendota and its been nice, however, we had lots of finish issues, and had to send parts back multiple times for replacement. (The burner was cracked, and the backdrop had finish problems, including bad paint, missing paint, and scratches).
Mendota DXV vs Lennox merit Plus
We just installed a Mendota, it is so beautiful, however, be aware that they seem to be having some serious problems with finish on the liners, and to a lesser degree the stove as well. Be very confident that your dealer will be someone you can work with to resolve any issues. The one we purchased was a clean view modern. It arrived with a cracked burner and the liner paint had defects, one trim piece was flawed. (Looked like a clogged sprayer). Our dealer worked with the company, and they replaced both, but the second liner arrived with a scratch, and one of the trim pieces was not painted on both sides.
They both happen to be from the same member though...
I'm not saying that Mendota isn't a good fireplace.. from what I've read on this forum, and elsewhere, I understand that they are very good, I just don't want to have to mess around with reordering parts because of minor defects or damage to parts.
With respect to Westgate being a knock-off, a company can only grow by designing new products that make use of new technologies and designs, that have often been introduced by competitors... and that's a good thing! The hope is that the product will be at least as good, or better than previous designs. If you tell me that Westgate is much inferior to say Town and Country, then that's valuable input, but just because it's a "knock-off" doesn't make it any better or worse. One advantage Westgate has over Town and Country is that it has better efficiency than Town and Country, for those of us that also want to use the fireplace for a bit of heating during power outages.. Check out http://oee.nrcan.gc.ca/pml-lmp/index.cfm?action=app.search-recherche&appliance=FIREPLACE_G... 63% vs 37%! Town and Country is strictly decorative! There aren't many fireplace lines out there, that are willing to sacrifice efficiency for ambiance... the so called "luxury" lines... for buyers that aren't looking for a primary heating source, but instead a nice realistic fire, with a realistic log set... so it's good that there are some options in that market.
You have one guy complaining about fit and finish. Who knows maybe an installation issue.
Westgate has been dropped by Enviro I checked. Enviro certainly has not improved anything doing knock off.
Finally although a 63 P4 is better than Town and Country it is very low efficiency number.
You came here asking for opinions.
Brad
Brad, don't get me wrong! I came to this forum to determine if Westgate was a good fireplace, with respect to build quality and reliability, so yes, I was looking for others' opinions. Your initial reply was not very helpful by simply stating that it was a knock-off... that tells me nothing about fit and finish and reliability of the product. Obviously you feel that the Westgate is an inferior product, and it would have helped if you had described the issues with that product. Thanks for checking whether Westgate line is being dropped. That is helpful to know.
Either way, at this point in time we've determined that the Westgate would be too large for our room... we would probably be running it on low flame most of the time, so that we don't get overcome by the heat, and maybe even then it would be too hot?
I had a look at the Town and Country, and it is certainly a very realistic log set and fire! I really like it. My only concern is how it will manage to keep us warm on those winter days when we have a power failure. I stood in front of the Town and Country 42 for some time, while it was running on high, and get the impression that the Town and Country might have a difficult time even generating enough heat to heat the room that it will be in. Again, I love the TC, and if it could just put out a tiny bit more heat, I would buy it without a second thought... it would have been perfect!
I had a look at a Mendota, I believe it was the DXV42 that I saw in action. It is a nice unit, but the TC was definitely nicer... I think once someone sees the TC, everything pales in comparison. The DXV42 could be controlled from 40,000 to 20,000 BTUs, but I'm wondering if it may still be too powerful. Maybe I should be considering the DXV35, but there isn't one on display here, so I don't know how it looks compared to the DXV42.
Another option is the Environ DV36. I'm not able to find one on display, so I don't know if the log set and fire are as realistic.
Of course, one option is to stick with wood, and go with a mid-efficiency Valcourt fireplace that has a larger viewing area... maybe that would solve all of my problems!
Either way, at this point in time we've determined that the Westgate would be too large for our room... we would probably be running it on low flame most of the time, so that we don't get overcome by the heat, and maybe even then it would be too hot?
I had a look at the Town and Country, and it is certainly a very realistic log set and fire! I really like it. My only concern is how it will manage to keep us warm on those winter days when we have a power failure. I stood in front of the Town and Country 42 for some time, while it was running on high, and get the impression that the Town and Country might have a difficult time even generating enough heat to heat the room that it will be in. Again, I love the TC, and if it could just put out a tiny bit more heat, I would buy it without a second thought... it would have been perfect!
I had a look at a Mendota, I believe it was the DXV42 that I saw in action. It is a nice unit, but the TC was definitely nicer... I think once someone sees the TC, everything pales in comparison. The DXV42 could be controlled from 40,000 to 20,000 BTUs, but I'm wondering if it may still be too powerful. Maybe I should be considering the DXV35, but there isn't one on display here, so I don't know how it looks compared to the DXV42.
Another option is the Environ DV36. I'm not able to find one on display, so I don't know if the log set and fire are as realistic.
Of course, one option is to stick with wood, and go with a mid-efficiency Valcourt fireplace that has a larger viewing area... maybe that would solve all of my problems!
I don't know who is showing a DXV42. Mendota keeps that in their line because it is a shallow remodel box. Truly 1994 technology.
DXV 45 or 35. IMHO there is no fire in the industry better looking than the 35. FV41 or FV46 is apples to apples. It has a P4 76.89.
Mendota FullView Fireplace FV46:
Brad
To the OP: If you run ANY gas stove on a wall mounted thermostat or a remote model, it won't blow you out of the room unless you set the t-stat way too high.
When I was installing, I always told customers to set the HI-LO regulator to the middle & do the same with the blower rheostat (if they had one).
Then I told them to sit on their couch & see what the room felt like after the unit had run for awhile. If the were too hot, they could turn one or the other or both down.
If they were too cold turn one or the other or both up. I also told them if they had everything all the way up & they were still cold, they were gonna hafta put on a sweater or wrap themselves in a blanket...HTH.
When I was installing, I always told customers to set the HI-LO regulator to the middle & do the same with the blower rheostat (if they had one).
Then I told them to sit on their couch & see what the room felt like after the unit had run for awhile. If the were too hot, they could turn one or the other or both down.
If they were too cold turn one or the other or both up. I also told them if they had everything all the way up & they were still cold, they were gonna hafta put on a sweater or wrap themselves in a blanket...HTH.
Thanks Brad,
I thought it was the DXV 42 that I saw, but I could be wrong... it may have been the 45. If you're telling me that the DXV35 looks better than the DXV45, then that's great news!
My only worry is that if the fireplace is too big for the room, the room will heat up relatively quickly, even on medium, and after that we'll have to stick to low flame (not as attractive) for the remainder of the time. We would likely get a fan, if it's an option, but from what I understand, they are usually not "whisper quite", so we would probably only use it when we need to get the room heated during a power failure.
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