Real Fyre Valley Oak Vent-Free Gas Logs

Real Fyre Valley Oak is a vent-free gas log set: it burns with the damper closed, so the heat stays in the room. A compact oak set for smaller and shallower fireplaces.

Who it's for

Right buyer. You want heat from the fireplace as much as the look, your local code allows vent-free heaters, and the room is large enough for the burner; the Valley Oak set fits a wood-burning fireplace or a listed vent-free firebox.

Wrong buyer. You live where vent-free is not permitted, the set would go in a bedroom or bathroom, or you would rather not have any moisture or odor from a fire in the room; a vented set is the answer.

How it performs

The Valley Oak vent-free set is a heater that looks like a fire: all of the burner's heat comes into the room, so a 30,000 BTU set warms a living room the way a small furnace would, with the logs glowing red where the flame runs through them.

Good to know

• A clean-burning flame is a smaller flame; if you want the tall, lazy fire of a wood log, a vented set gives it and a vent-free set does not.
• It puts moisture and the products of combustion into the room. Some people notice the smell on a new set; most do not after the first burns.
• It is not allowed everywhere, and the room must be big enough.

Dimensions

Is vent-free allowed where you live?

Check before you order. California does not allow vent-free gas heaters in homes, and some other states, cities and counties restrict them. Your building department or a local gas installer can tell you in one call. If vent-free is not permitted, this set can still be installed as a vented log set: the damper is clamped open and the chimney must be at least 15 feet tall.

Measure the inside of the firebox: width at the front, width at the back wall, depth and height. Your firebox must be at least as large as the row for the size you want. Every size needs 17 inches of height. The burner sits centered, and must not be pushed all the way to the back.

It may be installed only in a masonry or UL-127 factory-built wood-burning fireplace, or in a listed vent-free firebox. Do not use it in a factory-built fireplace whose instructions say it has not been tested for vent-free logs. The firebox floor cannot have an ash lip or a sunken hearth deeper than 3/4 inch.

Clearances

In a factory-built fireplace, follow that fireplace maker's clearances. Otherwise Peterson requires:

• Side walls: 6 inches from the side of the fireplace opening to a combustible side wall.
• Ceiling: 42 inches from the top of the opening.
• Above the opening: at least 12 inches of noncombustible material such as brick, stone or marble. With a fireplace hood, 10 inches.
• Mantel: how far a wood mantel may stick out depends on its height. At 20 inches above the opening it may project 2.5 inches without a hood, or 10 inches with one. The manual has the full chart. The 9,500 BTU burner has its own, smaller mantel chart in the same manual.
• Floor: if the burner sits less than 6 inches above the floor, 12 inches of noncombustible hearth in front of the fireplace.

If you cannot meet these clearances, Peterson says the set must be run with the chimney damper open. A fireplace hood is strongly recommended under a wood mantel.

Documents

• G8E vent-free: installation and owner's manual

Details

Warranty

Source: R.H. Peterson Real Fyre limited warranty, printed in the burner manual linked above. Register the set with Peterson after installation.

Heat

Is your room big enough?

A vent-free fire takes its air from the room, so the room has to be large enough for the burner. The rule in the National Fuel Gas Code is 50 cubic feet for every 1,000 BTU. Multiply the room's length, width and height in feet, then multiply by 20: the answer is the most BTU the room can take. Rooms that open into it without a door count as part of the space.

Vent-free heaters over 10,000 BTU may not be installed in a bedroom, which is why Peterson makes the 9,500 BTU burner: where local code allows, it may go in a bedroom, and there it must be screwed to the fireplace floor through the anchor holes in its base. Neither burner may be installed in a bathroom, where the limit is 6,000 BTU. In a very tightly sealed home, or above 2,000 feet, you may need to open a window an inch or two while it runs.

Choices and prices

The burner

The G8E is Peterson's compact vent-free burner: a single burner that needs only 9 1/2 inches of depth, with flames about 3 to 5 inches above the front log. A charred-log decor panel on the front hides the controls. It comes in two ratings. The standard burner is 20,000 BTU. The reduced burner is 9,500 BTU, which is the only Real Fyre burner that codes allow in a bedroom. It arrives with its valve and oxygen depletion sensor pilot already assembled and tested at the factory. The sensor watches the oxygen in the room and shuts the gas off before the level falls below 18 percent.

Control

Manual Safety Pilot. You light the pilot with the built-in push-button igniter and turn a knob at the burner to start the fire and set it high or low. No batteries and no wiring.

On/Off Remote. A standing pilot plus a handheld remote that turns the fire on and off. Runs on batteries that come in the box.

Variable Remote. A standing pilot plus a handheld remote that turns the fire on and off and raises and lowers the flame, down to the low setting in the table above. Runs on batteries that come in the box.

What arrives

• Log carton: the Valley Oak log set with its placement guide.
• Burner carton: burner with valve and ODS pilot assembled, the decor panel that covers the controls, gas connector, and a damper clamp for vented installations. Lava granules are optional and sold separately. Remote versions include the handheld remote, receiver and batteries.

Use only what comes with the burner. Adding embers, other logs or decorations on the burner causes soot and carbon monoxide.

Installation

A vent-free set goes into a wood-burning fireplace, with the damper open or closed, or into a listed vent-free firebox, by a licensed gas installer.

• Where it is allowed: not in California, not in bedrooms or bathrooms in most states, and not in a room smaller than the burner's minimum; check the room-size table on this page and your local code before ordering.
• Gas: a dedicated 1/2-inch line with a shutoff; the burner's ODS pilot shuts the gas off if the room's oxygen drops.
• Clearances: the mantel and side-wall distances on this page are the burner's own; they apply whatever fireplace it goes into.
• Logs: placed exactly by the diagram; a moved log on a vent-free burner makes soot.
• Controls: manual, remote or thermostat; the electronic versions take batteries or a 110-volt outlet in the firebox.

Planning the install

• It is a supplemental heater, not the main heat for a home, and it must not be left on unattended or while anyone is sleeping.
• Burning gas makes water vapor. If windows start to fog, open a window or the damper a little.
• Expect some odor and light smoke for the first four to six hours of use while factory coatings burn off. Ventilate well during that time.
• Candles, air fresheners, sprays and fresh paint in the room can cause odors when the fire is on.
• Keep ceiling fans and vents from blowing into the fireplace. Glass doors must be fully open and a screen in place.
• Have it cleaned and checked by a qualified technician at least once a year. Peterson requires it for the warranty, and the ODS pilot is sensitive to dust, lint and pet hair.
• Installation is by a qualified gas professional. In Massachusetts that must be a licensed plumber or gas fitter.
• Do not burn wood in the fireplace once the set is installed.