Desa PROPANE-LP GAS LOG HEATER User Manual

®

UNVENTED (VENT-FREE)

PROPANE/LP GAS LOG HEATER

OWNER’S OPERATION AND INSTALLATION MANUAL

FLAME-MAX™

Golden Oak Log

Design

18", 24", 30”, and 36" Variable

Manually-Controlled Model

WARNING: If the information in this
manual is not followed exactly, a fire or
explosion may result causing property
damage, personal injury, or loss of life.

— Do not store or use gasoline or other
flammable vapors and liquids in the
vicinity of this or any other appliance.

— WHAT TO DO IF YOU SMELL GAS

• Do not try to light any appliance.

• Do not touch any electrical switch; do
not use any phone in your building.

• Immediately call your gas supplier
from a neighbor’s phone. Follow the
gas supplier’s instructions.

• If you cannot reach your gas sup­plier, call the fire department.

— Installation and service must be per-

formed by a qualified installer, service
agency, or the gas supplier.

Manually-Controlled Models

FLAME-MAX™

18" and 24" Variable

Vintage Oak
Log Design

WARNING: Improper installation, adjust­ment, alteration, service, or maintenance
can cause injury or property damage.
Refer to this manual for correct installa­tion and operational procedures. For
assistance or additional information con­sult a qualified installer, service agency,
or the gas supplier.

WARNING: This appliance has been spe­cifically tested and design certified for
installation only in a solid-fuel burning
fireplace, including factory-built UL127
fireplaces and masonry fireplaces, or in
a listed ventless firebox

WARNING: This is an unvented gas­fired heater. It uses air (oxygen) from
the room in which it is installed. Provi­sions for adequate combustion and ven­tilation air must be provided. Refer to

Air for Combustion and Ventilation

tion on page 3 of this manual.

FLAME-MAX™

Birch

Log Design

18", 24", and 30" Variable

Manually-Controlled Model

sec-

Save this manual for future reference.

Models Also Designed Certified as Vented Decorative Appliances

This appliance may be installed in an aftermarket* manufactured (mobile) home, where

not prohibited by state or local codes. This appliance is only for use with the type of gas

indicated on the rating plate. This appliance is not convertible for use with other gases.

* Aftermarket: Completion of sale, not for purpose of resale, from the manufacturer

®

Patent Pending

VANGUARD FLAME-MAX™
UNVENTED PROPANE/LP GAS LOG HEATER

SAFETY
INFORMATION

WARNINGS

WARNING ICON G 001

IMPORTANT: Read this owner’s
manual carefully and completely
before trying to assemble, oper­ate, or service this heater. Im­proper use of this heater can
cause serious injury or death from
burns, fire, explosion, electrical
shock, and carbon monoxide
poisoning.

DANGER: Carbon monoxide

poisoning may lead to death!

Carbon Monoxide Poisoning: Early

signs of carbon monoxide poisoning re­semble the flu, with headaches, dizziness,
or nausea. If you have these signs, the heater
may not be working properly. Get fresh air
at once! Have heater serviced. Some people
are more affected by carbon monoxide than
others. These include pregnant women,
people with heart or lung disease or anemia,
those under the influence of alcohol, and
those at high altitudes.

Propane Gas: Propane gas is odorless. An
odor-making agent is added to the gas. The
odor helps you detect a gas leak. However,
the odor added to the gas can fade. Gas may
be present even though no odor exists.

Make certain you read and understand all
Warnings. Keep this manual for reference.
It is your guide to safe and proper operation
of this heater.

WARNING: Any change to this
heater or its controls can be dan­gerous.

1. This appliance is only for use with the
type of gas indicated on the rating plate.
This appliance is not convertible for use
with other gases.

2. Do not place propane supply tank(s)
inside any structure. Locate propane
supply tank(s) outdoors.

3. To prevent performance problems, the
use of a propane tank of less than 100
lbs. capacity is not recommended.

4. If you smell gas

• shut off gas supply

• do not try to light any appliance

• do not touch any electrical switch; do

not use any phone in your building

• immediately call your gas supplier

from a neighbor’s phone. F ollow the
gas supplier’s instructions

• if you cannot reach your gas supplier ,

call the fire department

5. This heater shall not be installed in a
bedroom or bathroom unless installed
as a vented appliance (see page 9).

6. Never install the heater

• in a recreational vehicle

• where curtains, furniture, clothing, or

other flammable objects are less than
36 inches from the front, top, or sides
of the heater

• in high traffic areas

• in windy or drafty areas

7. Before installing in a solid fuel burn­ing fireplace, the chimney flue and fire­box must be cleaned of soot, creosote,
ashes and loose paint by a qualified
chimney cleaner. Creosote will ignite
if highly heated. Inspect chimney flue
for damage. If damaged, operate heater
with flue damper closed.

8. If fireplace has glass doors, never op­erate this heater with glass doors closed.
If you operate heater with doors closed,
heat buildup inside fireplace will cause
glass to burst. Also if fireplace open­ing has vents at the bottom, you must
open the vents before operating heater .

9. Y ou must operate this heater with a fire­place screen in place. Make sure fire­place screen is closed before running
heater.

10. This log heater is designed to be smoke­less. If logs ever appear to smoke, turn
off heater and call a qualified service

Note:

person.
slight smoking could occur due to log
curing and heater burning manufactur­ing residues.

11. Do not allow fans to blow directly into
the fireplace. Avoid any drafts that al­ter burner flame patterns. Ceiling fans
can create drafts that alter burner flame
patterns. Altered burner patterns can
cause sooting.

12. Do not use a blower insert, heat ex­changer insert or other accessory not
approved for use with this heater.

13. This heater needs fresh, outside air ven­tilation to run properly. This heater has
an oxygen depletion sensor (ODS) pi­lot light safety system. The ODS shuts
down the heater if not enough fresh air
is available. See Air for Combustion
and Ventilation, pages 3 through 5. If
heater keeps shutting off, see Trouble-
shooting, pages16 through 18.

14. Do not run heater

• where flammable liquids or vapors

are used or stored

• under dusty conditions

15. Do not use this heater to cook food or
burn paper or other objects.

16. Never place any objects on the heater.

17. Heater base assembly becomes very hot
when running heater. K eep children and
adults away from hot surface to avoid
burns or clothing ignition. Heater will
remain hot for a time after shut-down.
Allow surface to cool before touching.

18. Carefully supervise young children
when they are in the room with heater .

19. Do not use heater if any part has been
exposed to or under water . Immediately
call a qualified service technician to in­spect the room heater and to replace any
part of the control system and any gas
control which has been under water .

20. Do not operate heater if any log is bro­ken. Do not operate heater if a log is
chipped (dime-sized or larger).

21. Turn heater off and let cool before ser­vicing. Only a qualified service person
should service and repair heater.

22. Operating heater above elevations of
4,500 feet could cause pilot outage.

During initial operation,

2

104256

OWNER’S MANUAL

PRODUCT
IDENTIFICATION

Flame-Max™
Standard Oak Logs

Front Log

Piezo Ignitor

Base Assembly

Flame-Max™
Golden Oak Logs

Piezo Ignitor

Burner Assembly

Flame-Max™
Birch Logs

Piezo Ignitor

Burner Assembly

Figure 1 - Product Identification

Burner

Control Knob

Control Knob

Control Knob

Crossover
Log

Back Log

One Piece
Log Set

One Piece
Log Set

LOCAL CODES

Install and use heater with care. Follow all
local codes. In the absence of local codes, use
the latest edition of The National Fuel Gas
Code ANSI Z223, also known as NFPA 54*.

*Available from:
American National Standards Institute, Inc.

1430 Broadway

New York, NY 10018

National Fire Protection Association, Inc.

Batterymarch Park

Quincy, MA 02269

UNPACKING

IMPORTANT: Do not remove the metal
Data Plates from the grate assembly. The
Data Plates contain important product in­formation.

1. Remove logs and heater base assem­bly from carton.
heater base assembly by the burner.
This could damage heater. Always
handle base assembly by grate.

2. Remove all protective packaging ap­plied to logs and heater for shipment.

3. Check all items for any shipping dam­age. If damaged, promptly inform
dealer where you bought heater.

Note:

Do not pick up

PRODUCT
FEATURES

Operation

This heater is clean burning. It requires no
outside venting. There is no heat loss out a
vent or up a chimney. Heat is generated by
realistic, dancing yellow flames. This heater
is designed for vent-free operation with flue
damper closed. State and local codes in
some areas prohibit the use of vent-free
heaters. You can operate heater as a vented
product by opening flue damper.

Safety Pilot

This heater has a pilot with an Oxygen
Depletion Sensor Shutoff System (ODS).
The ODS/pilot is a required feature for vent­free room heaters. The ODS/pilot shuts off
the heater if there is not enough fresh air.

Piezo Ignition System

This heater has a piezo ignitor. This system
requires no matches, batteries, or other
sources to light heater.

AIR FOR
COMBUSTION AND
VENTILATION

WARNING: This heater shall
not be installed in a confined
space unless provisions are pro­vided for adequate combustion
and ventilation air. Read the fol­lowing instructions to insure
proper fresh air for this and other
fuel-burning appliances in your
home.

Today’s homes are built more energy effi­cient than ever. New materials, increased
insulation, and new construction methods
help reduce heat loss in homes. Home own­ers weather strip and caulk around windows
and doors to keep the cold air out and the
warm air in. During heating months, home
owners want their homes as airtight as pos­sible.

While it is good to make your home energy
efficient, your home needs to breathe. Fresh
air must enter your home. All fuel-burning
appliances need fresh air for proper com­bustion and ventilation.

Exhaust fans, fireplaces, clothes dryers, and
fuel burning appliances draw air from the
house to operate. You must provide ad­equate fresh air for these appliances. This
will insure proper venting of vented fuel­burning appliances.

PROVIDING ADEQUATE
VENTILATION

The following is exerpts from National
Fuel Gas Code. NFPA 54/ANSI Z223.1,
Section 5.3, Air for Combustion and Venti­lation.

All spaces in homes fall into one of the three
following ventilation classifications:

1. Unusually Tight Contruction

2. Unconfined Space

3. Confined Space.
The information on pages 3 through 5 will

help you classify your space and provide
adequate ventilation.

Continued

104256

3

VANGUARD FLAME-MAX™
UNVENTED PROPANE/LP GAS LOG HEATER

AIR FOR
COMBUSTION AND
VENTILATION

Continued

Unusually Tight Construction

The air that leaks around doors and win­dows may provide enough fresh air for
combustion and ventilation. However, in
buildings of unusually tight construction,
you must provide additional fresh air.

Unusually tight construction is de­fined as construction where:

a. walls and ceilings exposed to the

outside atmosphere have a con­tinuous water vapor retarder with
a rating of one perm (6x10
per pa-sec-m2) or less with open­ings gasketed or sealed

b. weather stripping has been

added on openable windows and
doors

c. caulking or sealants are applied

to areas such as joints around
window and door frames, be­tween sole plates and floors, be­tween wall-ceiling joints, be­tween wall panels, at penetra­tions for plumbing, electrical, and
gas lines, and at other openings.

If your home meets all of the three
criteria above, you must provide ad­ditional fresh air. See

From Outdoors

If your home does not meet all of the
three criteria above, proceed to

termining Air Flow For Heater Loca­tion

.

and

, page 5

Ventilation Air

.

Confined and Unconfined Space

The National Fuel Gas Code (ANSIZ223.1,
1992 Section 5.3) defines a confined space

as a space whose volume is less than 50
cubic feet per 1,000 Btu per hour (4.8 m3 per
kw) of the aggregate input rating of all
appliances installed in that space and an
unconfined space as a space whose volume
is not less than 50 cubic feet per 1,000 Btu
per hour (4.8 m3 per kw) of the aggregate
input rating of all appliances installed in that
space. Rooms communicating directly with
the space in which the appliances are in-

and

-11

kg

De-

stalled*, through openings not furnished
with doors, are considered a part of the
unconfined space.

* Adjoining rooms are communicating only
if there are doorless passageways or ventila­tion grills between them.

DETERMINING AIR FLOW
FOR HEATER LOCATION

Determining if You Have a
Confined or Unconfined Space

Use this work sheet to determine if you have
a confined or unconfined space.

Space: Includes the room in which you
will install heater plus any adjoining rooms
with doorless passageways or ventilation
grills between the rooms.

1. Determine the volume of the space
(length x width x height).

Length x Width x Height =

__________ cu. ft. (volume of space)

Example:

16 ft. (width) x 8 ft. (ceiling height) =
2560 cu. ft. (volume of space)

If additional ventilation to adjoining
room is supplied with grills or open­ings, add the volume of these rooms to
the total volume of the space.

2. Divide the space volume by 50 cubic
feet to determine the maximum Btu/Hr
the space can support.

_______________ (volume of space)
÷ 50 cu. ft. = (maximum Btu/Hr the
space can support)

Example:

space) ÷ 50 cu. ft. = 51.2 or 51,200
(maximum Btu/Hr the space can sup­port)

3. Add the Btu/Hr of all fuel burning ap­pliances in the space.

Vent-free heater __________ Btu/Hr
Gas water heater* ________ Btu/Hr
Gas furnace _____________ Btu/Hr
Vented gas heater _________ Btu/Hr
Gas fireplace logs ________ Btu/Hr
Other gas appliances* + ___ Btu/Hr
Total = ___ Btu/Hr

Space size 20 ft. (length) x

2560 cu. ft. (volume of

Example:

Gas water heater 40,000 Btu/Hr
Vent-free heater + 31,500 Btu/Hr
Total = 71,500 Btu/Hr

* Do not include direct-vent gas appli­ances. Direct-vent draws combustion
air from the outdoors and vents to the
outdoors.

4. Compare the maximum Btu/Hr the
space can support with the actual
amount of Btu/Hr used.

__________ Btu/Hr (maximum the

space can support)

__________ Btu/Hr (actual amount of

Btu/Hr used)

Example:

the space can support)
71,500 Btu/Hr (actual amount of Btu/

Hr used)

The space in the above example is a con­fined space because the actual Btu/Hr used
is more than the maximum Btu/Hr the space
can support. You must provide additional
fresh air. Your options are as follows:

A. Rework worksheet, adding the space of

an adjoining room. If the extra space
provides an unconfined space, remove
door to adjoining room or add ventila­tion grills between rooms. See Ventila-
tion Air From Inside Building, page 5.

B. V ent room directly to the outdoors. See

V entilation Air Fr om Outdoors, page 5.

C. Install a lower Btu/Hr heater, if lower

Btu/Hr size makes room unconfined.

If the actual Btu/Hr used is less than the
maximum Btu/Hr the space can support, the
space is an unconfined space. You will need
no additional fresh air ventilation.

51,200 Btu/Hr (maximum

4

104256

AIR FOR
COMBUSTION AND
VENTILATION

Continued

WARNING: If the area in which
the heater may be operated is
smaller than that defined as an
unconfined space, provide ad­equate combustion and ventila­tion air by one of the methods
described in the

Gas Code, ANSI Z223.1, 1992,
Section 5.3

codes.

VENTILATION AIR

National Fuel

or applicable local

Ventilation

Grills

Into Adjoining

Room,

Option 1

OWNER’S MANUAL

Or

Remove
Door into
Adjoining

Room,
Option

3

12"

Ventilation Grills

Into Adjoining Room,

Option 2

Ventilation Air From Inside
Building

This fresh air would come from an adjoining
unconfined space. When ventilating to an
adjoining unconfined space, you must pro­vide two permanent openings: one within
12" of the ceiling and one within 12" of the
floor on the wall connecting the two spaces
(see options 1 and 2, Figure 2). You can also
remove door into adjoining room (see op­tion 3, Figure 2). Follow the National Fuel

Gas Code NFPA 54/ANSI Z223.1, Section

5.3, Air for Combustion and Ventilation for

required size of ventilation grills or ducts.

WARNING: Rework work­sheet, adding the space of the
adjoining unconfined space. The
combined spaces must have
enough fresh air to supply all
appliances in both spaces.

Ventilation Air From Outdoors

Provide extra fresh air by using ventilation
grills or ducts. You must provide two per­manent openings: one within 12" of the
ceiling and one within 12" of the floor.
Connect these items directly to the outdoors
or spaces open to the outdoors. These spaces
include attics and crawl spaces.

IMPORTANT:

for inlet or outlet air into attic if attic has a
thermostat-controlled power vent. Heated
air entering the attic will activate the power
vent.

Do not provide openings

12"

Figure 2 - Ventilation Air from Inside Building

Outlet
Air

Ventilated
Attic

Outlet
Air

Inlet
Air

Inlet Air

Figure 3 - Ventilation Air from Outdoors

To Attic

To

Crawl

Space

Ventilated

Crawl Space

104256

5

VANGUARD FLAME-MAX™
UNVENTED PROPANE/LP GAS LOG HEATER

INSTALLATION

NOTICE: A qualified service per­son must install heater. Follow
all local codes.

NOTICE: State or local codes may
only allow operation of this appli­ance in a vented configuration.
Check your state or local codes.

WARNING: Before installing
in a solid fuel burning fireplace,
the chimney flue and firebox must
be cleaned of soot, creosote,
ashes and loose paint by a quali­fied chimney cleaner. Creosote
will ignite if highly heated. In­spect chimney flue for damage. If
damaged, operate heater with flue
damper closed.

WARNING: Seal any fresh air
vents or ash clean-out doors lo­cated on floor or wall of fireplace.
If not, drafting may cause pilot
outage or sooting. Use a heat­resistant sealant. Do not seal
chimney flue damper.

IMPORTANT:

ture to the air. Although this is beneficial,
installing heater in rooms without enough
ventilation air may cause mildew to form
from too much moisture. See Air for Com-
bustion and Ventilation, pages 3 through 5.

Vent-free heaters add mois-

CHECK GAS TYPE

Use only propane gas. If your gas supply is
not propane, do not install heater. Call dealer
where you bought heater for proper type
heater.

INSTALLATION AND
CLEARANCES (Vent-Free
Operation Only)

WARNING: Maintain the mini­mum clearances. If you can, pro­vide greater clearances from
floor, ceiling, and adjoining wall.

MINIMUM FIREPLACE

CLEARANCE

TO COMBUSTIBLE

MATERIALS

Log Size Side Wall Ceiling

18", 24", 16" 42"

30”, and 36"

LOG SIZING REQUIREMENTS

Log Minimum Firebox
Size Height Depth Front Width

18" 17" 14" 20"
24" 17" 14" 26"
30" 17" 14" 32"
36” 17” 14” 38”

Carefully follow the instructions below. This
will ensure safe installation into a masonry,
U.L. listed manufactured fireplace, or AGA
design certified vent-free firebox listed for
use with these models.

Minimum Wall and Ceiling
Clearances (see Figure 4)

A. Clearances from the side of the fire-

place opening to any combustible wall
should not be less than 16 inches.

B. Clearances from the top of the fireplace

opening to the ceiling should not be less
than 42 inches.

WARNING: Never install the

heater

• in a bedroom or bathroom un­less installed as a vented ap­pliance (see page 9)

• in a recreational vehicle

• where curtains, furniture,

clothing, or other flammable
objects are less than 36 inches
from the front, top, or sides of
the heater

• in high traffic areas

• in windy or drafty areas

CAUTION: This heater cre­ates warm air currents. These
currents move heat to wall sur­faces next to heater. Installing
heater next to vinyl or cloth wall
coverings or operating heater
where impurities in the air (such
as tobacco smoke) exist, may
discolor walls.

42"

16"

Left and Right

Sides

Figure 4 - Minimum Clearance to Wall and Ceiling

6

104256

OWNER’S MANUAL

INSTALLATION

Continued

NOTICE: Manual control heaters
may be used as a vented product.
If so, you must always run heater
with chimney flue damper open.
If running heater with damper
open, non-combustible material
above fireplace opening is not
needed. Go to

Clamp Accessory for Vented Op­eration,

page 9.

Installing Damper

Minimum Non Combustible
Material Clearances

If Not Using Mantel

Note:

If using a mantel, go to column 3. If
not using a mantel, follow the information
on this page.

You must have non combustible material(s)
above the fireplace opening. Non combus­tible materials (such as slate, marble, tile,
etc.) must be at least 1/2 inch thick. With
sheet metal, you must have non combustible
material behind it. Non combustible mate­rial must extend at least 8" up (for all mod­els). If non combustible material is less than
12", you must install the fireplace hood
accessory (24", 30", and 36” models only).
See chart below and Figure 4 on page 6 for
minimum clearances.

IMPORTANT:

minimum clearances, you must operate
heater with chimney flue damper open. Go
to Installing Damper Clamp Accessory for
Vented Operation, page 9.

If you cannot meet these

If Using Mantel

You must have non combustible material(s)
above the fireplace opening. Non combus­tible materials (such as slate, marble, tile,
etc.) must be at least 1/2 inch thick. With
sheet metal, you must have non combustible
material behind it. Non combustible mate­rial must extend at least 8 inches up (for all
models). If non combustible material is less
than 12", you must install the fireplace hood
accessory (24", 30”, and 36" models only).
Even if non combustible material is more
than 12", you may need the hood accessory
to deflect heat away from your mantel shelf.
See chart below and Figures 6 and 7, page 8,
for minimum clearances.

IMPORTANT:

minimum clearances, you must operate
heater with chimney flue damper open. Go
to Installing Damper Clamp Accessory for
Vented Operation, page 9.

If you cannot meet these

Non-Combustible Requirements for
Material Distance (A) Safe Installation

12" or more Non combustible material OK.
Between 8" and 12" 24", 30", or 36” Models: Install fireplace hood accessory

(GA6050 or GA6052, see Accessories, page 19).
18" Model: Non combustible material OK.

Less than 8" Non combustible material must be extended to at least 8".

See Between 8" and 12", above. If you cannot extend
material,you must operate heater with flue damper open.

Heat Resistant
Material

(A)

Figure 5 - Heat Resistant Material (Slate,
Marble, Tile, etc.) Above Fireplace

104256

Continued

7

VANGUARD FLAME-MAX™
UNVENTED PROPANE/LP GAS LOG HEATER

INSTALLATION

Continued

Mantel Clearances

In addition to meeting non-combustible
material clearances, you must also meet
reaquired clearances between fireplace open­ing and mantel shelf. If you do not meet the
clearances listed below, you will need a
hood.

Determing Minimum Mantel Clearance

If you meet minimum clearance between
mantel shelf and top of fireplace opening, a
hood is not required (see Figure 6).

Determining Minimum Mantel Clear­ance When using a Hood

If your installation does not meet the above
minimum clearances, you must:

• operate the logs only with the flue
damper open, OR

• raise the mantel to an acceptable height,
OR

• remove the mantel.

Minimum Non­Combustible
Material

10"
8"
6"

1

/2

"

2

(A)

12"
8"

Minimum Non­Combustible
Material Height

Mantel Shelf

20"
14"

Distances to
Underside of
Mantel

24
16

Underside of
Mantel Shelf

All minimum
distances are
in inches

1

/2

3

/4

1

"

27

/2

"

30"

1

"

/2

"

18

20"

Log Set

24”/30”/36”

24"/30" Models

Models

18" Model

Top of Fireplace
Opening

Figure 6 - Minimum Mantel Clearances Without Using Hood

8"
Min.

Mantel Shelf

12" 15" 18"

Distances to
Underside of
Mantel

Minimum Non­Combustible
Material

12"
10"
8"
6"

1

2

/2

"

Hood
(GA6050, GA6052)

Underside of
Mantel Shelf

All minimum
distances are
in inches

Log Sets

18", 24", and

20"

18”, 24”, 30”,

30" Models

and 36”
Models

Top of Fireplace
Opening

Figure 7 - Minimum Mantel Clearances When Using Hood

8

104256