Fireplaces
user-1025609
| Posted in Green Products and Materials on
What fireplaces deal with air barrier requirements and ach50. We’d like to get to 2.0 or better.
Are gas fireplaces sealed well enough?
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Replies
You will not be happy with a fireplace. They will suck heat out of your house no matter what you do. Get a woodstove with big glass door. Build a fireplace look surround.
The poster is interested in a gas fireplace, not a wood stove. I would think a direct vent gas insert, where there is a dedicated line for both fresh and exhaust gas should work for their purposes.
Please let us know what you end up chosing + your blower door results in the end, as we are very much interested in the same thing. My wife _requires_ some sort of fireplace for the ambiance factor... even if we only use it a hand full of times each year. Happy wife, happy life, right?! Honestly, this needs to be incorporated into Passive House certification as this absolutely falls under the "comfort" umbrella. :)
My gas fireplace is in the center of my home the flue pipe was ease enough to air seal. My ACH number was just slightly over one.
https://www.heatnglo.com/fireplaces/gas/indoor/cosmo-gas-fireplace
Walta
Would love to see a picture!
While many say "no ng" go all electric, if you do choose a ng direct vent (as I did), make sure the installer follows all directions and uses appropriate sealant on the joints of the direct vent duct and around the direct vent duct penetration. There are several grades of high temperature sealant, one is black another is orangish. On install, the perimeter of the direct vent was not sealed, had a crescent shaped gap. HVAC guys (nice and knowledgeable) apologized and sealed. With that gap, ACH50 was measured at around 2 and I think with that fixed, plus projects I've done, it's likely under 2.
Also, if you want to retain heat, keeping the wall enclosure within the perimeter of the house is better than a pop out enclosure. I lined the inside of the enclosure with concrete board, which does help retain some heat (soapstone is great for retention of heat too).
Napoleon has a natural convection approach for the enclosure that allows for electronics less than 1' above the top of the fireplace (my 40" TV is still alive), they also make a fan.