If you and your family love to be in a nice, warm house with a soothing fireplace in the room. Keeping everybody cozy, but you don’t like the cleanup of the ash, or the risk of catching your house on fire then you should consider shopping 10 of the best rated direct vent gas fireplaces!
There are many different factors that can go into your decision including whether it is affordable, ratings, how it is fueled or powered, if there is a sale on the fireplace and the inch size right for your home. Some come in packages with stoves, burners, heaters, and blowers which makes your buying decision more complicated. Sometimes you may feel alone in the decision making process and self worrying over which factors to consider. Do not worry, at the end of the article, I will explain what goes into picking the right gas fireplace, but first I will give you the opportunity to look at our 10 best picks.
Top 10 Best Direct Vent Gas Fireplaces
1. Napoleon GX36NTR Ascent 35
[amazon box=”B01FE7H53S” description=” ” rating=”5.0″]
This is a versatile direct vent that is great for heating large indoor spaces, and it also has some great features included. It has a heating capacity of 26,000 BTUs and a high-efficiency rate that is made to control and keep a living room feeling great. It can use both types of propane and natural gas, so you can utilize each type. The log set, beautiful black finish, and charcoal embers can fit in any household with a good look.
Sample customer review…This is a great fireplace, for the price point, the fire display, the options and accessories, and the efficiency rating and I really like using the night light feature during the summer months. Highly recommend!
Read more reviews at Build.com
2. Napoleon Natural Gas Compact Stove
[amazon box=”B005TGAQX6″ description=” ” rating=”4.7″]
This fireplace can provide up to 20,000 BTU of heat which makes it interesting. Moreover, it also involves a conversion kit which allows you to convert natural gas into a propane fireplace. It is economical as it runs on gas and avoids the need for electricity and requires little or no maintenance. It is waterproof, hence you can place it in your mobile home or even your bathroom.
Sample Customer Review…I really like it. It is compact give of plenty of heat for my area. It requires two persons to move it safely. The instructions are ok, but requires a little knowledge of how gas stove work.
Read more reviews at Amazon.com.
3. Pleasant Hearth VFS2-PH20DT
[amazon box=”B016HUP1LO” description=” ” rating=”4.6″]
This fireplace offers dual fuel feature, allowing you to choose between natural gas or propane. It can easily heat up to 700 sq. ft as it provides 20,000 BTU which is enough to keep your home warm for several hours. Although the fireplace is not remote controlled, it uses a convenient thermostat control to make things easy. This fireplace is also known for its durability due to heavy metal construction. All these features help to make this fireplace an ideal purchase.
Sample Customer Review…We bought this stove to replace an old gas insert that was very questionably installed (and I was therefore afraid to even turn on). For the price, I don’t think you can find a better looking or more functional gas stove. The look is very clean and goes with basically any decor. The logs are of decent quality and the flame pattern is nice. It was easy to hook up and convert from propane to gas.
We didn’t get a blower, but really don’t feel it is necessary, as it keeps our living room very cozy. The unit is warm to the touch, with the exception of the front grate , which of course does get hot. I agree with other reviews about the controls…the photo makes them appear very visible, but they are actually quite discrete, set under the unit.
Read more reviews at Amazon.com
4. Napoleon Grandville
[amazon box=”B00F1APPAY” description=” ” rating=”4.5″]
This fireplace is perfect for heating large areas of your home as it offers up to 30,000 BTUs of heating capacity. It is also remote controlled, allowing you to adjust the heat according to your own preferences. It provides stunning visual effects due to the dual flame burner system and Phazer log, giving your home ambience and a proper “wood fire” look. For safety purposes, it uses an oxygen depletion sensor which shuts down the fireplace if the amount of oxygen drops below a safe level.
Sample Customer Review…We have this fireplace insert in a corner of our approx. 1200 sq. ft. condo, with cathedral ceilings, and it keeps our place nice and cozy. The remote can be set at a preferred heat setting or set to run for a set number of minutes, your preference. We usually set it to a room temp of 75 degrees and it automatically turns off and on as needed. We love the fireplace.
We have this exact model and have had it since 2005 and have never had to have any service work done on it. It is a very substantial reliable heat source. We purchased the insert only as a replacement for the one the builder built in.
Read more reviews at Amazon.com.
5. ProCom Dual Fuel Stove Fireplace
[amazon box=”B01HQSUMII” description=” ” rating=”4.3″]
The interesting feature about this fireplace is its portability as you can easily place it in any space that you like. Moreover, you have the feasibility to propane a tank or connect it to your home’s natural gas supply. It is efficient as it can heat up to 1,100 square feet quickly. It’s also less time-consuming to install as it is completely ventles.
Another great thing about this fireplace is its built-in pilot oxygen depletion sensor (ODS) which allows it to automatically shut down if there is a lack of oxygen or carbon monoxide detected. It also contains a thermostat control which allows you to turn it off and on and maintain your preferred temperature.
Sample Customer Review…This thing is a life savor. My winter bills for electricity have been so high running the heat pump I wanted an alternative. We installed this in our living room and wow it heats up the entire house. I expected to use it for supplemental heat but it turned out to be the main house heat instead.
I also purchased the blower with worlds great but can turn out the flame if set low. I think it was money well spent and have not had a single issue. I periodically check for leaks with a smaller and have installed a co2 sensor right by it.
Read more reviews at Amazon.com.
6. Empire Comfort Systems Premium 36”
[amazon box=”B00GYHE5UE” description=” ” rating=”4.1″]
This direct vent fireplace is a great choice for your home when wanting an upgrade. It is run by natural gas and includes many great features such as a variable speed blower with a temperature switch, logs, burner, tempered glass, and herringbone ceramic fiber brick. One important feature about this fireplace I must note is that it is required for you to choose a fireplace barrier screen or door set and frame with a barrier screen in order to complete the unit, so you must order that separately.
Although, as it says that it is required for the barrier screen or door set, there have been reviews stating that you don’t need them, so I would test the unit out first to see whether you need them or not to consider to save some money.
Sample customer review…I ordered this fireplace for looks and to just have a fireplace. But to my amazement, it almost heats my 1500 sq. ft home, with cathedral ceilings and 3 skylights. It adds a lot of extra warmth to keep the main furnace off. After one season I had to replace the blower, so I replaced it with a larger unit that I had to cut a 6×6 hole in the back of the fireplace to install. Works great and I couldn’t be happier.
I run this in the morning and then in the evening, every day, and my gas bill is exactly the same as when all I had was the furnace. The difference is that I can also enjoy the warm feeling of watching a fire. A good purchase.
Read more reviews at Amazon.com.
7. Empire Tahoe Deluxe Direct Vent Fireplace
[amazon box=”B009LNV5S8″ description=” ” rating=”3.7″]
I would rate this as one of the best direct vent gas fireplaces in this article. The Empire Tahoe Deluxe is 36 inches for a great fit in your home and it operates on natural gas. The installation process is found by most users to be relatively easy and straightforward, not causing any issues in that process. A cool feature about this fireplace is that if there is a power outage in your house this unit can still run, keeping your house warm.
Sample customer review…it is a very nice firebox and I am very happy with the purchase. I was aware that it did not include a mantle, brick liner, venting pipes, gas hose, fan blower, or remote for any future buyers wondering about that. I did buy all these separately here on Amazon for the best price. I did try to shop around town at a fireplace supply store and they were way overpriced. I looked online and the majority of the fireplace suppliers online well I didn’t like the numerous ad pop-ups and I wouldn’t trust buying from them.
This gas insert does include pretty much everything else you need to get you started. We vented out the side of the house because it required less pipe to be purchased. How does it heat up well pretty good, It heats our living room which is 17x 21, along with the master bedroom and dining room without a problem. We do already have a blower installed for less heat loss. The attached pictures give a pretty good start to finish of the gas insert. My husband made the frame for it in about 30 minutes but if you wanted the item to sit flush to the wall you could do that as well.
Read more reviews at Amazon.com.
8. Duluth Forge Dual Fuel Ventless Fireplace
[amazon box=”B016QQU8WQ” description=” ” rating=”3.7″]
This fireplace is known for its efficiency as it can provide a ventless propane gas insert that can deliver up to 26,000 BTUs which is enough to heat 1,350 sq ft. It also has a dual fuel feature which allows it to operate on either natural gas or propane. Furthermore, it is remote controlled and uses a piezo ignition system that avoids the need for a pilot light, thus saving you fuel cost. In terms of design, it involves five hand-painted ceramic fiber logs that give your home a magnificent ambiance.
Sample Customer Review…We love the fireplace, and it really puts out the heat. We use natural gas for ours. It’s easy enough to install, but be sure to follow all the instructions for proper installation and ventilation. The natural gas connection to the regulator has a safety set-screw (in case somebody accidentally connects high-pressure propane to the natural gas inlet).
If your home’s natural gas pressure is around 9.5 or above, as ours is, the unit will not stay lit unless you back off the set screw two full turns. The burner must be removed from the unit to get to the set screw. Details are in the instructions, and it’s best to let a pro handle the job (with the accompanying costs, of course).
Read more reviews at Amazon.com.
9. Empire Boulevard Direct Vent Linear Fireplace
[amazon box=”B07P9D5C24″ description=” ” rating=”X”]
This is probably one of the coolest fireplaces on this list, as it sits at 48” linear. You should be able to tell that this is a very wide fireplace so you will certainly need the space in your living room to fit this for installation. It will add value to your home while also adding a cozy aesthetic vibe to it that everybody will love. This unit comes with a remote device that can control the heat by reducing and increasing it. If your pockets are a little deeper than most others then you can also add crushed glass to the fireplace to make it even more satisfying.
Sample customer review…We are very pleased by this new fireplace grate. We had our original grate (inexpensive model from Lowes) for many years and when it broke, we debated the need to give ourselves a grate upgrade (how much difference does a more expensive grate really make?) Well, after having about 6 fires with our new grate thus far, it really does make a difference. We can’t believe how well our fire is burning.
The grate is well made, very heavy, and burns wood incredibly well. I definitely recommend this grate. We ordered online, and despite COVID-related challenges affecting many online retailers, the product was shipped out quickly and came in excellent condition.
Read more reviews on Trustpilot.com.
10. Superior Direct Vent Gas Fireplace
[amazon box=”B07X6KDVCY” description=” ” rating=”X”]
This is a beautiful unit with decorative, glowing embers that create a very cozy presentation for the fire. It is 35-⅞’ in width, 36-¼ in height, and has an 18-½ depth which will make it suitable for most homes. The heat circulation design is made to increase the heat in your house by having a near-perfect warm air distribution. The tempered glass provides more exceptional heat than standard tempered glass. Lastly, it comes with a very easy to use, fully functioning remote for simple operation. There is a standard low flame, or high flame control so you can control the vibe of the room.
Sample Customer Review…The fireplace was very simple to install and set up. The clean face and design worked amazing with our new remodel. The adjustable flame height, flickering off the oak logs with the inside adjustable mood light makes for the perfect ambiance! Heats up our 20×20 living room perfectly and with the adjustable blower makes it easy to maintain. We love our fireplace!!!
Read more reviews at efireplace.com.
Things to Know Before Shopping the Best Direct Vent Gas Fireplaces
Gas fireplace inserts are an extremely convenient and relaxing way to add significant warmth to the interior of your home without the hassle of trying to gather dry wood and keeping it lit. Having the best direct vent gas fireplace is essential in homes.
For a vented gas fireplace system, it will require a fluke or ductwork in your home for external venting. The next decision you must decide on is whether it runs on propane, natural gas, or a fireplace that can run on dual fuel, meaning it can work with either natural gas or propane.
A problem with a traditional fireplace is that the burning wood sends up a considerable amount of heat to the chimney, which we all can agree is a big waste of heat. These models of gas fireplaces use a conventional type of heat distribution that will save your home’s energy bill and will keep your home warmer. When making this list we discovered the best direct vent gas fireplace that you can find on the market now so we gave you 10 of the best to choose from.
When you see the features that these fireplaces come with you it is safe to say that you will have to agree that they are indeed the best in the industry. Throughout this article, we have made it clear which fireplaces have specific features and which don’t, so it should be easy finding what is best for you.
Conclusion
Direct vent fireplaces are better in most cases than traditional fireplaces because they don’t need chimneys, and they take advantage of zero-clearance technology. They are made to be installed in wood frame construction without foundation. The plus side of direct vent fireplaces is that they can be vented directly out of a wall. This means the installation process of the vents is much easier and you will save more money in the process.
Another plus of the direct vent fireplaces is that you never have to worry about chopping, hauling, or even cleaning up any wood. With natural gas or propane you simply just turn on the unit by either a switch, knob, or even remote, and boom! You have a nice warm house for the family to enjoy.
One important term to recognize is the BTU or British thermal unit that fireplaces use. It is equal to the amount of heat required to raise one pound of water one degree. So, if you’re looking for a fireplace that needs to heat up a bigger space then you are going to want something with a higher BTU.
Direct vent fireplaces burn efficiently enough to extract most heat from the combustion of gases. Most of the direct vent models mentioned above have glass doors that are secure so that it will prevent leaks of combustion output into the room you are in and you will not have to worry about exhaust.
These are certainly the best direct vent gas fireplace units you can find on the market right now so enjoy finding your favorite one for your home!
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Written by Jo Wampler and Syed Muhammad Imad