How Do I Change a Woodburning Fireplace to a Direct Vent Fireplace?

Direct Vent Fireplaces

• Direct vent fireplaces are directly connected to the air outside of the house through a single pipe that can be installed either through a house wall or through the ceiling, possibly where your existing chimney has been built. Depending on what type of direct vent fireplace you get, the fireplace itself will always be sealed off from the air inside the house, or sealed off except for intervals when you replace wood or pellets.

  The single pipe connecting the fireplace to the outdoors is actually made of two different pipes, an inner pipe and an outer pipe. Exhaust particles like smoke are funneled outside through the inner pipe, while outside air is brought through the outer pipe to provide oxygen and ventilation to the fireplace. The air inside your house is actually heated through radiation. Direct vent fireplaces have spaces on the top and sides that allow for inside air to pass over them. Usually a fan system will draw air into these spaces, where it will become heated from the warmth radiating out from the sealed panels of the fireplace. The air is then blown back out into the room, efficiently heating the space without ever contacting the flames or any of the exhaust elements the fire produces.

Installation

• Direct vent fireplaces require installing a firebox, the sealed-off compartment in which wood is burned. Unfortunately, it is unlikely you will be able to install a direct vent fireplace yourself, and you will probably need to hire a professional. If you have construction and installation experience, you may be able to install the direct vent piping yourself.

  Since the firebox needs to be completely sealed from indoor air, it will need to replace your existing fireplace compartment. Fortunately, if you already have a woodburning fireplace, the space itself is there, so all you will need is a fireplace insert. There are several different insert designs to convert various types of fireplaces to direct vent, including woodburning. You can expect a woodburning insert to improve the efficiency of your fireplace heating by as much as 65 percent. Not only will you heat the air more efficiently, but the seal firebox will cause your wood to burn more slowly, saving the cost and time involved in replenishing your wood supply.