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The glass screen is in place. Is the seal on the backside of the screen in good shape? No gaps or missing sections. Does it appear to be sealing properly all the way around the perimeter? This has been a problem with some of my H/O in the past. I have also seen the screen not installed properly- leaving a gap. And I have had a couple of H/O who had a problem with wind gusts- it blew hard enough to leak past the screen seal.
I do not know what you mean by air tight, there is 1/2" OSB with tyvec housewrap. If f/glass batt insulation is not in a dead air space (air-tight)- it's nothing more than an air filter- especially if there is any leaking around the unit itself, and not just the firebox. A small chase as you described could have possible leaks- like at the plate. Or maybe there is some type of ventilation, like a soffit vent or a ridge vent?
Should there be sheetrock on the inside of the studs? No
When I open the bottom louvered door I see the controls pilot etc. There is fiberglass stuffed in the hole where the gas line comes in. That is definitely a culprit- but it would be hard to say if it's the only one. It should be sealed with a fire-rated caulk. F/glass is a definite no-no.
It looks like on the bottom at least the only thing separating the house inside where the controls are from inside the firebox is sheet metal. The exhaust/vent pipe has outside comming in with the exhaust pipe inside it. This means to me with only thin sheet metal between inside and outside there is no wonder it has drafts!
It maybe only sheetmetal- but if it's sealed correctly (as I noted above)there are no "drafts", only convection of cold. The firebox itself is a sealed appliance- it draws combustion air through the outer sleeve of the flue pipe and the inner sleeve draws exhaust out. The whole function is to not use or loose any interior air of the home. I hope this helped- As I mentioned before- contact Lennox directly and see what they say.
They said if it is a Direct vent there could be a dampner but a B-vent I have to live with it. I am sure mine is a b-vent. I still do not know what the difference is. It seems very stupid to me to design a fireplace that does not use warm inside air when the fire is going maybe 5 hours per week (about 5 hours per year for me). BUT IN RETURN FOR THAT INSIGNIFICANT SAVINGS YOU MUST PUT UP WITH COLD AIR INFILTRATION FOR 163 HOURS PER WEEK. Stated another way, spend lots of heating $ 99% of the time so that you can save little 1% of the time???
What a joke!
You definitely don't have a "B"-vent. As I stated before, a direct vent fireplace is a sealed unit that gets its combustion air from outside of the home. The direct vent pipe can vent either vertical or horizontal (which you have) and can use elbows to circumvent obstructions. B-Vent units use combustion air from the home's interior but can be enhanced with an outside air kit (this is the most common wood burning/gas starter fireplace used today). B-Vent pipe must terminate vertically.
It turns out the model number is DR4 4035 and it is direct vent. Lennox tech told me that they used to sell a magnetic strip (like those magnetic car signs) to put inside the the bottom louver door. They no longer sell that and I must go to a fireplace dealer to get one. I will try to find one, but I still do not consider this a fix. Just a bandaid (Literally and Figuratively).
It turns out the model number is DR4 4035 and it is direct vent. Lennox tech told me that they used to sell a magnetic strip (like those magnetic car signs) to put inside the the bottom louver door. They no longer sell that and I must go to a fireplace dealer to get one. I will try to find one, but I still do not consider this a fix. Just a bandaid ([FONT=Times New Roman]Literally [/FONT]and [FONT=Times New Roman]Figuratively).[/FONT]
So has anyone found a remedy to this situation yet? I have the same thing and mine is surrounded by fake marble stone. I was thinking about applying that window insulation plastic and see if it seals completely. I pasted a pic for reference (sorry its from my cell phone). Most of the cold air comes from the metal piece on the bottom where the controls are behind. It's 0 degrees in Chicago right now. When I kneel down by the controls, I can see my breath, that's how bad it is.
I have a Heatilator ND 3933 in our home. It was a new home built in 2006. The direct vent retailers beat their chests about how much safer these Direct Vent boxes are....
The 1st year we were there we turned it on a few times, it LOOKS fantastic, it produces little to NO heat at all. So i shut the gas off to it just to be on the safe side after we opted to never use it. THen one day i was picking up some paper on the floor next to the fireplace on a chilly cold Memphis morning. OH MY! I NEVER knew the amount of cold air billowing, not slowly creeping, into my Great room. When i say billow, i mean enough to blow out a match. THe builder that built this is one of the more respected builders and is STILL in business. I have spoken with him and the Fireplace company in town that he subs the work out to. THEY ALL agree they are prone to outside elements due to the 8"+ vent on the back of the home. Think about it, its a 8" vent with little obstruction finding its way into the home. The Heatilator has interior grill vents above and below the glass. I ended up buying some Pink Insulation and stuffing that sucker. I mean PACKED it in there, then went outside and PACKED the exterior vent.
This year i have considered getting a Ventless system put in and removing this cruddy vented. The vented folks go on and on about the extra water vapor and mold potential. My home is Gas Heated centrally and that nukes any moisture thats normally in the air, so extra moisture is welcome in my home. Those ventless boxes put out some SERIOUS heat too. I will say that based on my conversations with Heatilator, the Builder and the Fireplace Vendor...the Vented are fantastic to look at, but if you are looking for heat...find another solution.
If you are not going to replace your vented unit, then i'd suggest cutting the gas off and packing it FULL of insulation, knowing you'll NEVER turn it on again.
My plan is to pull the current unit, seal off the vent hole in the house, calk it, then insulate the wall's where the unit sits, then put in the ventless.
The 1st year we were there we turned it on a few times, it LOOKS fantastic, it produces little to NO heat at all.
Despite the other issues you identified (cold air infiltration), gas fireplaces need a circulating fan to disperse the heat they generate. Builders are too cheap to install the fans, leaving homeowners believing the fireplace is faulty. At least some builders have the sense to install the necessary wiring, electric hook-up and wall switch for the fan.
My home, new to me a couple of years ago, but built in the late 1990s has a direct-vent gas fireplace. The fireplace was manufactured by a company since taken over by Lennox. It put out no heat. It took me multiple consults with Lennox and some local fireplace dealers to learn that the fan was likely missing. Indeed it was. For my fireplace, there was only one possible OEM fan, which I purchased and installed. Thankfully, the electricity and wall switch were builder-installed, so it was nothing more than slipping in the fan unit, plugging it in, and flipping the switch. Now the fireplace puts out tons of heat, but the fan is a noisy son of a b....
I do not understand why no one closes the dormer when not in use. You have to look up as it is just out of sight, but you will find a lever or rod which closes the flap to prevent drafts.
My gas fireplace (no fan) did not add enough heat to warrant the pilot being on (@$14 / month I figured). Walking in the area of the fireplace in the winter, you could feel the cold draft. There was a round hole for a flue - I filled it with a small beach ball, taping a string hanging down so I wouldn't forget it, but this did not help. The air came from all around it. I have experimented with sealing the outside metal flue structure, with tarp cut to fit around it and duct tape. It sealed it off well, my winter heating bills reflected it in a surprising fashion. This was a couple or so years ago.
I had to pull off the duct taped tarp because it was getting ugly. Duct tape only lasts so long.
I am now making a custom cover of thin sheet metal ("tin"), cut to fit around the shape, bent to follow the form. I intend to use duct tape along the seams to fill in the cracks, and possible screw the whole structure along "tabs" along the edges, bent to fit.
I'd tried to block the airflow inside my house in the fireplace area, but there was no way. Poor design.
We have a similar issue - direct vent fireplace letting in tons of icy cold air into the family room. The brand is Majestic. Would anyone know whether we can somehow "close" the vent?
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I contacted lennox tech
I contacted Lennox with the correct model #
