# I want to buy direct vent propane stove and vent up existing pre-fab chimney...



## alltherage (Dec 8, 2012)

Can I do this?  It's a prefab Temco propane insert that really is for looks only...it generates very little heat. I want to put a direct vent propane insert in or put a freestanding stove in front of the othe original opening and vent up the pre-fab chimney?  Is this a go or not?


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## DAKSY (Dec 9, 2012)

alltherage said:


> Can I do this? It's a prefab Temco propane insert that really is for looks only...it generates very little heat. I want to put a direct vent propane insert in or put a freestanding stove in front of the othe original opening and vent up the pre-fab chimney? Is this a go or not?


 
If you have a factory-built zero-clearance wood burning fireplace, with a gas log set in it, yes. If your existing unit is something other than that, we'll need to know exactly what the model is before we can help you.


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## alltherage (Dec 9, 2012)

it's a propane pre-fab that has a vent going to a chimney....all prefab metal.  i'll look for model number today


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## DAKSY (Dec 9, 2012)

Maybe a pic or two as well?


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## alltherage (Dec 9, 2012)

it's in a corner of the living room.  They built around it so there's a "fake" wall.  it would seem that venting out the side would be a pain because you would have to pull the old unit entirely, vs potentially using the existing chimney.


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## DAKSY (Dec 9, 2012)

Look just inside the opening. Many manufacturers mount the rating plate there.


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## alltherage (Dec 12, 2012)

sorry about the delay....the stove is a Temco model DV5200MBN vented gas fireplace heater.  I want to rip it out and either put in a propane insert (that will generate REAL heat unlike this thing) or a pellet insert.  It's put together with rivets and screws.  It's perplexing when i look at it trying to figure out how to disassemble it.  I guess you just drill out the rivets.  It's built into a corner so there is a straight wall/fake wall (non structure supporting)that eliminates the actual corner.  The corner is there obviously, but obscured by the fireplace and fake wall.  ill try to get pics soon.  thanks for any help you can give.


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## DAKSY (Dec 12, 2012)

Here's the manual:

http://literature.mhsc.com/vermont_castings/manuals/78674_DV5200MBN.pdf

You should be able to get SOME heat out of this thing - It's rated at 25K BTU input. You should be able to get about 20K out of it. This is NOT an insert. It is a gas fireplace. You will have to replace it with another fireplace, or a pellet insert that has a zero clearance (ZC) shell to mount it in after you frame everything. If it were my home & I was going to replace it with a larger unit, I would  tear EVERYTHING out. The framing that is in your corner with restrict you to a certain size. If you tear everything out, you can put whatever you want in there.


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## alltherage (Dec 12, 2012)

great...thanks so much!! i'll send pics when i get a chance.  It does put out some heat, the blower helps. I'm shocked that it's rated at 25k though.  I was next to a ventless 25k and there was no comparison.  Alot of the heat goes up the vent i guess.


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## DAKSY (Dec 12, 2012)

alltherage said:


> great...thanks so much!! i'll send pics when i get a chance. It does put out some heat, the blower helps. I'm shocked that it's rated at 25k though. I was next to a ventless 25k and there was no comparison. Alot of the heat goes up the vent i guess.


 
Do you have it turned all the way up?


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## webbie (Dec 12, 2012)

If this is a "decorative" vented appliance, which I suspect it is (I used to sell Temco), then it might not even be rated for efficiency and the output could be much lower. 

Also, gas efficiency measurements can be a bit misleading. 
The closest thing I have seen to accurate measurements comes from Canada:
http://oee.nrcan.gc.ca/pml-lmp/index.cfm?action=app.formHandler&nr=1#searchResults
shows some of the majestic units. As you can see, even the better DV Majestic gas fireplaces are 44% total efficiency, which means only about 11,000 BTU output for 25,000 input.

A ventless or vent-free, on the other hand, probably gives an 85% plus total measured efficiency, or double as much.

There are some gas DV units which are quite efficient, but you have to be careful about the manufacturers claims - that's why I like this Canadian list!


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## alltherage (Dec 13, 2012)

i've experimented quite a bit with the blower and lo/hi knob on the bottom of teh stove


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