Don’t worry about inviting chimney contractors into your house for chimney installation. You can simply use the place outside your house for venting a gas fireplace. But once you are done with installing it, you’ll just need to turn on the switch to start the fire.
Gas fireplace installation
A gas fireplace doesn’t require a chimney for ventilation, it can be vented with the help of an exterior wall. Follow the steps below for the perfect installation of a gas fireplace.
Placement of the Gas Fireplace
The first step is to choose the perfect room for the fireplace since it will heavily impact the décor and give your room aesthetics. To vent the smoke, run a gas supply line with a help of chimney contractor. You can also use a wire that connects fireplace to the switch to increase the heat output through blower.
- Clear fireplace installation box, surrounding walls and wood framing from any hurdles preferably ½ inch from the sides and 3-1/2 inch from the top.
- Take necessary measures to divert the heat towards vent. Metal shields can come in handy to lure heat.
- Contact your dealer to understand the accurate dimensions for your vent layout.
- Keep the vent away from windows, doors, corners and other spots where it is likely to leave the house.
- Before jumping into the process, make sure to contact the inspection department or chimney contractors, if necessary.
- Get the Gas, Electrical and Vent in Place
After receiving vent parts and fireplace, give yourself some time to lay out the fireplace location, build the platform and check the vent by running it. Once you are done with all the necessary steps including gas line and wiring, start with building a frame and then use drywall to cover it. You can finish the process by taping or decorating it just like you wish. Unlike chimney cleaning, this process needs a lot of smart work and patience.
Punching Through the Wall
If you somehow manage to punch through the wall exactly 12 inch without running into any obstacles, then you won’t need to remove any more drywall. Frame around the opening using lumber into the hole, preferably short pieces and use screws to keep them in place.
If you find Vinyl siding, use a utility knife to cut it and if you find an aluminum or steel siding, use metal-cutting blades or tin snips. Use vinyl or metal J-bead to cover the ends of the sidings and then get yourself in position to install the drip cap before letting the vent cap slide into the hole.
If your exterior is made up of stucco then drill four holes from the inside using masonry bit and then cut the stucco with a masonry blade. To cut the wood sheathing present underneath, a regular blade might come in handy. To cut a brick, use masonry blade or blade chisel. 12 x 12 inch hole is perfect for mounting the vent cap over the brick with the help of plastic anchors or screws. Use urethane caulk to seal the vent cap.
Drywall Job
After constructing the surround with the given instructions, grab a drywall screw gun and spend the better part of the day completing it. The task is very delicate so you will need to pay more attention to keep the horizontal lines straight and leveled, vertical lines plumb and even spacing between parallel metal beads and vertical lines.
After doing the necessary adjustments, use paper drywall tape to cover the inside corners and then use joint compound to fill in the slight valleys that appear. You can ask dealers or chimney contractors to guide you for taping and filling process that must be done in 3 coats because of shrinking issues.
Trowell on the Texture
Use a high-quality primer to prime the walls and then after drying it use a huge trowel to apply a thin layer of premixed texture making sure to take necessary breaks at the corners. Smooth out the trowel marks if the weather is not really hot because it will take a few minutes to set in place. Since, a gas fireplace doesn’t need chimney cleaning md, the firebox will remain untouched and tidy for a longer period of time.
A gas fireplace is a classy feature that adds ambiance to your house, it doesn’t require chimney cleaning or inspection but instead you can just install one at your place and enjoy a roaring fire on a cold night.