What does direct vent mean?
Direct vent appliances (gas fireplaces and stoves) draw all their combustion air from outside the home and vent the exhaust outside of the home. For fireplaces this accomplished by using “direct vent” chimney, a double-wall metal pipe that contains the exhaust in the center portion and draws the intake air through the outer ring. Gas fireplace inserts have separate, flexible metal tubes for the intake of air and exhaust that connect to a chimney cap that keeps the two channels separate. This system is completely sealed from the interior of the home, which minimizes atmospheric effects and allows this type of heater to be used in any room of the home, including bedrooms. This is especially important for people who suffer with breathing and allergy issues.
Direct vent applies to gas fireplaces, gas inserts and gas stoves. It is the process of using outside air for combustion, thus eliminating the use of preheated indoor air, which is ultimately lost up your chimney. Using a direct vent system gives you better indoor air quality, higher efficiency and greater venting options.
While a traditional wood-burning fireplace consists of an open burning chamber that vents through a natural draft chimney, a direct vent- usually natural gas or propane fueled- fireplace does not require a natural draft chimney, and can vent horizontally out a sidewall. The venting system of a direct vent fireplace consists of a double-walled pipe, or pipe-within-a-pipe. The inner pipe provides venting to the outside, while the outer pipe carries outside air into the fireplace. As the outside air is sucked into the venting system, it’s heated by the hot central venting pipe, improving efficiency. Though a direct vent fireplace does not require electricity, it does require a propane or natural gas pipeline for fuel and burns logs specifically made for direct vent models.(See below & figure 2 for more visual detail) (Figure 4) Direct vent flow configuration BACK TO TOP Do I have to reline my chimney if I have a wood burning insert installed?
