32
ENCLOSING the FIREPLACE
Element4 Gas Fireplaces
European
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THE ENCLOSURE
A safe installation of your Element4 fireplace requires that four things be clearly understood.
1. Most important, these fireplaces are NOT zero-clearance fireplaces. Unlike zero-clearance fireplaces, there is not a metal box
around the Element4 fireplaces. With no metal box there are no louvers to distract your view of the fire. However, we want the
cooling advantage of a metal box so your site-built, non-combustible enclosure will substitute.
2. Your fireplace enclosure must be made to
act
the way a metal fireplace box acts - letting room air in below and warm
convection air out above. The framing cannot interfere with the air flow. The
inlet
for the room air is part of the fireplace and
cannot be changed or adjusted. The convection air outlet is part of your enclosure design, is provided by you and MUST be
included.
Note: The Convection Air Outlet must be installed in the same room as the fireplace and a space which ALWAYS flows air
into the room in which the fireplace is installed. The flow of convection air must NOT be blocked.
3. Since these are not zero-clearance fireplaces, the clearances and dimensions listed in the
CLEARANCES
section MUST be
maintained. Only the non-combustible wall, the mounting brackets and the venting may touch the fireplace. As previously
stated,
nothing
may be built closer than 2”/50
mm
to the non-glass sides.
4. The controls will be mounted to your enclosure and below the burner. The controls are at the end of a 50”/1270
mm
line set
and are to be mounted to the Wall Access Door which is included. The controls must be located for ease of physical access
(gas line, maintenance, etc.) as well as wireless signal (remote control) access. See the
LOCATING THE CONTROLS
and the
MOUNTING THE
CONTROLS
sections.
The combination of multiple glass sides and no zero-clearance box makes for a non-typical enclosure project. It may seem
straightforward to build the ‘rough opening’, set the fireplace then attach the wall. However, for most projects, it will be easier to
first set the fireplace in position then enclose it with Skamol Skamotec® or Promat PROMATECT® building board.
ONLY non-combustible framing must be used to enclose these fireplaces.
In all cases, the framing/wall around these fireplaces must NOT be supported by the fireplace. The enclosing walls must be attached to
another structure which can bear their entire weight and the weight of any attachments to the walls such as TVs, shelves, artwork, etc.
When installing the fireplace against an existing finished wall, the wall MUST BE completely covered with Skamotec 225 or Promatect
building board. All clearances between the fireplace and wall MUST BE maintained.
CONVECTION AIR OPENING
A convection air outlet is always required. The opening size of the convection air outlet varies by fireplace model. Table 3, on page
19, shows the minimum total area required for the various models in this manual. The convection air outlet may take many forms and
must always allow the free flow of warm air up through the chase and out into the room in which the fireplace is installed. Shown
on the next page are a number of ways to design the convection air outlet into your project.
