Monessen Solstice/VFI 33″ Vent Free Gas Insert

No — no model on this page needs a vent, a flue liner or a working chimney. The Solstice is an unvented room heater that burns room air, so the existing fireplace is professionally cleaned and its fresh-air vents and ash clean-out sealed before the insert goes in, and nothing runs up the flue. What it does need is the room itself — enough volume of indoor combustion air to satisfy the National Fuel Gas Code, or combustion and ventilation air provided by one of the code's methods — plus a 1/2" gas line to the factory shutoff.

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 on carpet, vinyl or tile it needs a full-size metal or wooden base and at least 5" of height above any combustible flooring within 14" of its base. Combustible mantel clearance depends on how far the shelf projects — the manual's example allows 2-1/2" of projection at 8" above the opening and 12" at 26" above it, with nothing combustible within 8" of the opening; see Figure 8 on page 9 of the installation manual, and the supplied canopy must be installed. You can also send us your mantel depth. We're here to help!

• Included in the box: 28,000 BTU/hr natural-gas or 27,000 BTU/hr propane input by model, with variable flame height; Millivolt piezo standing pilot or EcoLogic IPI electronic ignition, by model; Natural Blaze 18-inch burner with cast-iron grate and rear log bracket, plus rock wool and volcanic rock; Built-in 135 CFM variable-speed thermostatic blower with a grounded three-prong cord; ODS safety pilot that shuts the gas off if room oxygen drops; Mesh fireplace screen, 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 - an 18-inch Natural Blaze log set (Beachcomber Burncrete, Berkley Oak in fiber ceramic or refractory, or Highland Oak refractory); the insert ships without logs, and a correctly placed approved set is required before it is run; Interior Panel - one of three firebox liner kits (ceramic firebrick panels in either of two finishes, Black Porcelain or Black Magic Glass panels), which Monessen lists as required to complete the installation; Surround - the small (43-inch wide by 32-inch high) or large (50-inch by 35-inch) black metal surround that frames the insert; required to complete the installation; 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 - a grounded 120 V, 60 Hz outlet for the built-in blower's three-prong cord (routed out the left or right side of the unit) and, on electronic-ignition models, the factory junction box wired to a 120 V circuit by a licensed electrician before the unit is closed in; the millivolt valve itself needs no power.
• Optional: The MVWS wired wall switch, RCB on/off or TSST thermostat hand-held remotes and the TS thermostat sensor for millivolt models, and extra volcanic rock for the firebox floor — the insert operates fully without any of them.

The millivolt models have a standing pilot you light with the built-in piezo button, run the fire with no electricity at the valve, 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 hand-held remote, need a licensed electrician to wire a 120 V circuit to the factory junction box before the unit is closed in, and add a cold-climate switch that keeps the pilot standing in a cold room. Either way the built-in blower needs a grounded 120 V outlet for its cord, so plan power at the fireplace on every model. Both are dedicated natural-gas or propane units — there is no field conversion.

The fire keeps burning whichever ignition you choose — only the blower stops. A millivolt model never uses household power for the valve, so nothing changes at the fire; 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 insert and its 18-inch Natural Blaze burner, cast-iron grate and rear log bracket, rock wool and volcanic rock, the built-in 135 CFM blower, the mesh screen, 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, liner kit, surround, remotes and wall switch 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 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.