Monessen Aria 36″ Vent Free Gas Fireplace

No — no model on this page needs a chimney or a vent run. The Aria 36 is an unvented room heater: it burns room air and installs as a zero-clearance unit against or into any wall a gas line reaches. What it does need is the room itself — at least 50 cubic feet of volume per 1,000 BTU/hr of gas appliances in the space, counting adjoining rooms open to it through doorless openings — plus a 1/2" gas line to the factory shutoff. The AK4 outside combustion air kit is an option where the room cannot provide that air on its own.

Any room except a bedroom or bathroom, out of drafts and traffic, with 9" from the inside of the appliance to a combustible side wall and 42" from the top of the opening to the ceiling; the back can touch a combustible wall and it sits directly on a wood floor (never on carpet, vinyl or tile without a full-size metal or wooden base, and vinyl needs 14" of floor protection in front). Combustible mantel clearance depends on how far the mantel projects — see Figure 7 on page 10 of the installation manual, and Figure 8 on the same page for mantel legs. Monessen's Barrington BWC400 and BWC500 cabinet mantels are built to comply. You can also send us your mantel depth. We're here to help!

• Included in the box: 37,000 BTU/hr natural-gas or 36,000 BTU/hr propane input by model, with variable flame height; Millivolt piezo standing pilot or EcoLogic IPI electronic ignition, by model; Natural Blaze 24-inch burner with cast-iron grate, rear log bracket and rock wool; ODS safety pilot that shuts the gas off if room oxygen drops; Mesh screen front, black canopy with three screws, and two anchoring screws; Factory-fitted 18-inch stainless flex connector with a listed 1/2-inch T-handle manual shutoff; ANSI Z21.11.2 listing, CSA design certification, manufactured-home approval; HHT limited warranty — 20 years on the firebox, 10 years on the burner and refractory, 5 years on the vent-free burner and logs.
• Required to complete the installation, purchased separately: Log Set - a 24-inch Natural Blaze log set (Berkley Oak (fiber ceramic or refractory), Highland Oak, Beachcomber Burncrete or Stony Creek (with or without the two-log top enhancement kit)); the fireplace ships without logs, and a correctly placed approved log set is required before it is run; Gas Line - a 1/2-inch supply in new black iron or steel pipe to the factory shutoff, with an upstream manual shutoff, union tee, 1/8-inch NPT test point and sediment trap, run and purged by a qualified installer or licensed plumber; propane also needs an external regulator holding the tank supply at 13 inches w.c. or less; Electrical (electronic-ignition models only) - a 120 V, 60 Hz circuit to the factory junction box for the 6 V adapter, wired by a licensed electrician before the fireplace is framed; the millivolt models need no electricity.
• Optional: Interior panels (Cinnamon or Colonial Red firebrick, Black Porcelain or Black Magic Glass), the BLOTMC 135 cfm thermostatic blower, RCB on/off or TSST thermostat remotes, the MVWS wall switch and TS thermostat sensor, the BLTK36C curved black trim kit, volcanic rock for the firebox floor and the AK4 outside combustion air kit — the fireplace operates fully without any of them.

The millivolt models have a standing pilot you light once a season with the built-in piezo button, need no electricity at all, and adjust flame height at the LOW/HI knob; a wall switch, thermostat or RCB/TSST remote can be added on low-voltage wire. The electronic (EcoLogic IPI) models light the pilot and burner automatically from a wall switch or the hand-held remote, need a licensed electrician to wire a 120 V circuit to the factory junction box before the fireplace is framed, and add a cold-climate switch that keeps the pilot standing in a cold room; flame height from the remote needs a separate stepper-motor kit. Both are dedicated natural-gas or propane units — there is no field conversion.

It keeps burning whichever ignition you choose. A millivolt model never uses household power — its pilot generates the millivolts that run the valve, so nothing changes. An electronic model switches to its battery back-up, rated for roughly 48 hours of on/off operation (using high/low from a remote shortens that); the batteries are for outages, not everyday use.

Every model ships with the fireplace and its Natural Blaze burner, cast-iron grate, rear log bracket and rock wool, the mesh screen front, the black canopy with its three screws, two anchoring screws, the manual, and an 18" stainless flex connector with a listed 1/2" T-handle shutoff already on the valve. The log set, interior panels, blower, remotes and trim kit are sold separately. Do not run it without the screen and canopy installed — both are mandatory.

Every new unit burns off manufacturing oils for its first six hours on high — open windows and let the odour clear; anything after that will be slight and fade with use. Because it burns room air, Monessen wants an unvented heater cleaned before use and at least once a year by a professional: burner air-intake holes, burner ports and the ODS pilot must stay free of lint, and candles, incense or oil lamps burned nearby leave soot the heater cannot filter.

No. The firebox and heat exchanger carry 20 years on parts and 3 on labour, the burner, logs and refractory 10 years, the vent-free burner and logs 5 years, and electrical components and liner panels 2 years; the warranty transfers with the home. Keep your invoice and the model number; we hold the rest on file.