# Propane Fireplace Venting Question



## PacNW (Dec 3, 2011)

Hello,
I'm looking for some advice on venting a propane "fireplace" up through the roof since the location is not near an outside wall. I decided against the "vent-free" option, and I would like this to be a typical looking  fireplace with a mantel, etc. I have a wood stove about 10 feet away which has a stove pipe going up through the roof and I want a second form of emergency heat, but not another "stove" in the same room. The ceiling is all open up to the peak, so I don't have to go through an attic. FYI, my primary daily heat source is a heat pump but due to frequent power outages I am installing a standby generator which runs on propane but it will not power the heat pump so I want another heat source besides wood for convenience and something that can heat the house well when I'm not there. So anyway....since I don't have a chimney on this wall it would seem like I need to use stove pipe again but that doesn't seem right to have stovepipe coming out the top of a fireplace close to the wall. I thought maybe there might some kind of well insulated flat chimney pipe that I could put next to the wall all the way up to the ceiling over some cement board and cover it with manufactured stone to resemble a standard masonry chimney but I have no idea if that is safe or even practical. I just need to know what some good options might be. Thanks for your help.


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## DAKSY (Dec 3, 2011)

You have the right idea. You have two choices:
1. Come off the top of the DV unit & vent thru the roof,
boxing in the venting to conceal it. You can box in the 
width of the fire place or you can simply box in the vent.
2. Vent straight off the back thru the wall behind, THEN turn
90 degrees & up thru the roof. That will give you a cleaner 
look in the room where the fire place is located, but you'll 
hafta deal with the vent in the OTHER room


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## PacNW (Dec 4, 2011)

Thanks Bob. I have nowhere to go with the pipe on the other side of the wall except into a stairway, so that's not an option. Strait up is the only way to go. So are you saying I can attach cement backer board to the wall, have the pipe come strait up out of the top of the fireplace right up next to the non- combustible backer board, and then cover that with a brick veneer box? This would look OK if the total thickness of this was no more than about 8 inches out from the wall but that means I wouldn't be able to have any clearance at all between the pipe and the structure surrounding it. I haven't picked out a fireplace yet but in general how small of diameter pipe can I have on a propane unit?


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## DAKSY (Dec 4, 2011)

Most DV units can vent with 4" Simpson DuraVent & that has an OD of 6-5/8"
You must have 1" clearance to combustibles, so if you use framing lumber 
& sheet rock your enclosure will be 9-1/8 x 9-1/8." If you use non-combustibles 
(steel studs & concrete board) on all sides, you can cut the framing by the 2" 
clearance requirement. Whatever thickness concrete board & finishing material
you use will be added to that. Like I mentioned in the previous post, you can go 
as wide as the unit with your framing to hide the venting, but MOST folks, myself
included, prefer the tapered look - wide at the bottom & narrow at the top. 
Looks more natural than a square projection from the mantel to the ceiling,
ESPECIALLY if you finish with cultured stone...
Your call...


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## PacNW (Dec 6, 2011)

DAKSY said:
			
		

> Most DV units can vent with 4" Simpson DuraVent & that has an OD of 6-5/8"
> You must have 1" clearance to combustibles, so if you use framing lumber
> & sheet rock your enclosure will be 9-1/8 x 9-1/8." If you use non-combustibles
> (steel studs & concrete board) on all sides, you can cut the framing by the 2"
> ...



Thanks, I think I have a plan now. I'll just make this one of those fireplaces that looks like one solid chimney from floor to ceiling, and the mantel is just attached to the outside of that above the fire box. I like the idea of tapering it towards the top, too. Thanks for your help on this.


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## DAKSY (Dec 6, 2011)

PacNW said:
			
		

> DAKSY said:
> 
> 
> 
> ...



You're quite welcome. That's why we do this!


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