Desa VFP18R, VFP30R, VFP24R User Manual

UNVENTED (VENT-FREE)

PROPANE/LP GAS LOG HEATER

VARIABLE MANUALLY-CONTROLLED MODELS ALSO DESIGN-CERTIFIED

AS VENTED DECORATIVE APPLIANCES

OWNER’S OPERATION AND INSTALLATION MANUAL

VFP18R
VFP24R
VFP30R

18", 24", and 30"

Remote-Ready

EMBER MASTER™

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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

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.

• 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 sup
plier, call the fire department.

— Installation and service must be performed

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

WARNING: This appliance is for installa­tion only in a solid-fuel burning masonry,
UL127 factory-built fireplace, or in an ap­proved ventless firebox. It is design certi­fied for these installations in accordance
with ANS Z21.11.2. Exception: Do not in­stall this appliance in a factory-built fire­place that includes instructions stating it
has not been tested or should not be used
with unvented gas logs.

This appliance may be installed in an aftermarket*, permanently located, manufactured
(mobile) home, where not prohibited by 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

Save this manual for future reference.

FIREPLACE MANUFACTURERS INC.
UNVENTED PROPANE/LP GAS LOG HEATER

SAFETY
INFORMATION

WARNINGS

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/LP Gas: Propane/LP gas is odor-

less. 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.

WARNING: 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.

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

Due to high temperatures, the
appliance should be located out
of traffic and away from furniture
and draperies.

Do not place clothing or other
flammable material on or near
the appliance. Never place any
objects on the heater.

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

Carefully supervise young chil­dren when they are in the room
with heater. When using the hand­held remote accessory, keep se­lector switch in the OFF position
to prevent children from turning
on burners with remote.

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

Keep the appliance area clear and
free from combustible materials,
gasoline, and other flammable
vapors and liquids.

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/LP supply tank(s)
inside any structure. Locate propane/LP
supply tank(s) outdoors.

3. 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

2

4. This heater shall not be installed in a bed­room or bathroom, unless installed as a
vented appliance (see Installing

Damper Clamp Accessory for Vented
Operation, page 10).

5. 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.

6. 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 .

7. To prevent the creation of soot, follo w
the instructions in Cleaning and Main-
tenance, page 17.

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

Note:

During initial operation, slight
smoking may occur due to log curing and
heater burning manufacturing residues.

9. Before using furniture polish, wax, car­pet cleaner, or similar products, turn
heater off. If heated, the vapors from
these products may create a white pow­der residue within burner box or on
adjacent walls or furniture.

10. This heater needs fresh, outside air ven­tilation to run properly. This heater has
an Oxygen Depletion Sensing (ODS)
safety shutoff system. The ODS shuts
down the heater if not enough fresh air
is available. See Air for Combustion
and Ventilation, pages 4 through 6. If
heater keeps shutting off, see Trouble-
shooting, pages 18 through 20.

11. Do not run heater

• where flammable liquids or vapors

are used or stored

• under dusty conditions

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

13. 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 .

105073

OWNER’S MANUAL

SAFETY
INFORMATION

Continued

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

15. Turn heater off and let cool before ser­vicing, installing, or repairing. When
using the hand-held remote accessory,
make sure the selector switch is in the
OFF position. Only a qualified service
person should install, service, or repair
heater.

16. When using the hand-held remote acces­sory, make sure the selector switch is in
the OFF position when you are away
from home for long periods of time.

17. This heater must not be connected to
any external electrical source.

18. Operating heater above elevations of
4,500 feet may cause pilot outage.

19. To prevent performance problems, the
use of a propane/LP fuel tank of less than
100 lb. capacity is not recommended.

PRODUCT
IDENTIFICATION

Top Middle Log

Front
Logs

UNPACKING

CAUTION: Do not remove the
metal data plates from the grate
assembly. The dataplates 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.

Crossover Log

Note:

Do not pick up

Rear Log

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, ANS Z223.1, also known as NFPA 54*.

*Available from:
American National Standards Institute, Inc.

Batterymarch Park

New York, NY 10018

National Fire Protection Association, Inc.

1430 Broadway

Quincy, MA 02269

Note:

Where listed vented decorative logs
are required, thermostat operation is not
permitted.

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 both
realistic flames and glowing coals. This heater
is designed for vent-free operation with flue
damper closed. It has been tested and ap­proved to ANS Z21.11.2 standard for
unvented heaters. State and local codes in
some areas prohibit the use of vent-free heat­ers. This heater may also be operated as a
vented decorative (ANS Z21.60) product by
opening the flue damper (non-thermostat
operation only).

Front
Burner

Piezo
Ignitor

Control Knob

Figure 1 - Ember Master

105073

Flame
Adjustment
Knob

Selector Switch
(Optional)

Base
Assembly

3

Rear
Burner

Bottom
Middle
Log

SAFETY PILOT

This heater has a pilot with an Oxygen
Depletion Sensing(ODS) safety shutoff sys­tem. The ODS/pilot is a required feature for
vent-free 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.

Continued

FIREPLACE MANUFACTURERS INC.
UNVENTED PROPANE/LP GAS LOG HEATER

PRODUCT
FEATURES

Continued

OPTIONAL REMOTE
CONTROL ACCESSORIES

There are four optional remote controls that
can be purchased separately for this log heater:

• wall switch

• wall thermostat

• hand-held ON/OFF remote

• hand-held thermostat remote
See Accessories, page 24.
The wall thermostat or hand-held thermo-

stat control may not be used where vented
decorative listing is required.

AIR FOR
COMBUSTION AND
VENTILATION

WARNING: This heater shall
not be installed in a confined space
or unusually tight construction
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 are excerpts from National
Fuel Gas Code, NFPA 54/ANS 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 Construction

2. Unconfined Space

3. Confined Space
The information on pages 4 through 6 will

help you classify your space and provide
adequate ventilation.

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 (6 x 10
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

mining Fresh-Air Flow for Heater Lo­cation,

and

page 5.

, page 6

Ventilation Air

.

-11

and

Deter-

kg

Confined and Unconfined Space

The National Fuel Gas Code, ANS Z223.1

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

This heater shall not be installed in a con­fined space or unusually tight construction
unless provisions are provided for adequate
combustion and ventilation air.

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

4

105073

OWNER’S MANUAL

AIR FOR
COMBUSTION AND
VENTILATION

Continued

DETERMINING FRESH-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:

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:

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
* 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 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 adjoin-

ing room or add ventilation grills between rooms. See Ventilation Air From Inside Building, page 6.

B. Vent room directly to the outdoors. See Ventilation Air From Outdoors, page 6.
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.

Space size 20 ft. (length) x 16 ft. (width) x 8 ft. (ceiling height) = 2560 cu. ft. (volume of space)

2560 cu. ft. (volume of space) ÷ 50 cu. ft. = 51.2 or 51,200 (maximum Btu/Hr the space can support)

Example:

Gas water heater 40,000 Btu/Hr
Vent-free heater + 33,000 Btu/Hr
Total = 73,000 Btu/Hr

51,200 Btu/Hr (maximum the space can support)
73,000 Btu/Hr (actual amount of Btu/Hr used)

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

105073

National Fuel Gas Code, ANS Z223.1, Section 5.3

5

or applicable local codes.

Continued

FIREPLACE MANUFACTURERS INC.
UNVENTED PROPANE/LP GAS LOG HEATER

AIR FOR
COMBUSTION AND
VENTILATION

Continued

VENTILATION AIR

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/ANS 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.

12"

Ventilation

Grills

Into Adjoining

Room,

Option 1

Figure 2 - Ventilation Air from Inside Building

Or

Remove
Door into
Adjoining

Room,
Option

3

12"

Outlet
Air

Ventilation Grills

Into Adjoining Room,

Option 2

Ventilated
Attic

Outlet
Air

To Attic

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. Follow the

National Fuel Gas Code, NFPA 54/ANS
Z223.1, Section 5.3, Air for Combustion and
Ventilation for required size of ventilation

grills or ducts.

IMPORTANT:

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 for

Inlet
Air

Inlet Air

Figure 3 - Ventilation Air from Outdoors

6

To

Crawl

Space

Ventilated

Crawl Space

105073

OWNER’S MANUAL

INSTALLATION

NOTICE: This heater is intended
for use as supplemental heat. Use
this heater along with your pri­mary heating system. Do not in­stall this heater as your primary
heat source. If you have a central
heating system, you may run
system’s circulating blower while
using heater. This will help circu­late the heat throughout the
house. In the event of a power
outage, you can use this heater
as your primary heat source.

WARNING: 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: Make sure the se­lector switch is in the OFF posi­tion before installing heater.

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. A dirty
chimney may create and distrib­ute soot within the house. 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.

WARNING: Never install the

heater

• in a bedroom or bathroom un­less installed as vented appli­ance, see page 10

• in a recreational vehicle

• where curtains, furniture, cloth-

ing, or other flammable objects
are less than 42 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 (such as to­bacco smoke, aromatic candles,
cleaning fluids, oil or kerosene
lamps, etc.) in the air exist, may
discolor walls.

IMPORTANT:

Vent-free heaters add mois­ture 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 4 through 6.

CHECK GAS TYPE

Use only propane/LP gas. If your gas sup­ply is not propane/LP gas, 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 Floor*

18", 24", 30” 16" 42" 5"

LOG SIZING REQUIREMENTS

Minimum Firebox Size

Log Front Rear*
Size Height Depth Width Width

18" 17" 14" 20" 14"
24" 17" 14" 26" 18"
30" 17" 14" 32" 22"

*Measured at 14” depth

Carefully follow the instructions below. This
will ensure safe installation into a masonry,
UL127-listed manufactured fireplace, or
listed vent-free firebox.

Minimum Clearances For Side
Combustible Material, Side Wall,
and Ceiling

A. Clearances from the side of the fire-

place cabinet to any combustible ma­terial and wall should follow the dia­gram in Figure 4.

Example:

shelf, etc. is made of combustible ma­terial and protrudes 3 1/2" from the wall.
This combustible material must be 4"
from the side of the fireplace opening
(see Figure 4).

Note:

into a manufactured firebox, follow
firebox manufacturer’ s instructions for
minimum clearances to combustible
materials.

B. Clearances from the top of the fireplace

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

FIREBOX

*Minimum 16 inches from Side Wall

Figure 4 - Minimum Clearance for
Combustible to Wall

The face of a mantel, book-

When installing your gas logs

121/

Example

.5 2

1 4 6 8 10 12 14 16

INCHES

101/
8
7
51/
31/
1
7/8
7/16

*

4

2

3

/

4

4

2

3

/

4

INCHES

105073

*See

Floor Clearances,

page 9.

Continued

7

FIREPLACE MANUFACTURERS INC.
UNVENTED PROPANE/LP GAS LOG HEATER

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, noncombustible
material above fireplace open­ing is not needed. Go to

ing Damper Clamp Accessory
for Vented Operation,

Minimum Noncombustible
Material Clearances

If Not Using Mantel

Note:

If using a mantel, see If Using Man-

tel. If not using a mantel, follow the infor-

mation below.
You must have noncombustible material(s)

above the fireplace opening. Noncombus­tible materials (such as slate, marble, tile,
etc.) must be at least 1/2 inch thick. With
sheet metal, you must have noncombustible
material behind it. Noncombustible material
must extend at least 8" up (for all models). If
noncombustible material is less than 12", you
must install the fireplace hood accessory. See
Figure 5 for minimum clearances.

IMPORTANT:

minimum clearances, you must operate heater
with chimney flue damper open. See Install-

ing Damper Clamp Accessory for Vented
Operation, page 10.

If you cannot meet these

Install-

page 10.

If Using Mantel

You must have noncombustible material(s)
above the fireplace opening. Noncombus­tible materials (such as slate, marble, tile,
etc.) must be at least 1/2 inch thick. With
sheet metal, you must have noncombustible
material behind it. Noncombustible mate­rial must extend at least 8 inches up. If
noncombustible material is less than 12",
you must install the fireplace hood acces­sory. Even if noncombustible material is
more than 12", you may need the hood
accessory to deflect heat away from your
mantel shelf. See Figure 5 and Figures 6 and
7, page 9 for minimum clearances.

Noncombustible Requirements for
Material Distance (A) Safe Installation

12" or more Noncombustible material OK.
Between 8" and 12" Install fireplace hood accessory (HDABK or

HDABR, see
18" model: Noncombustible material OK.

Less than 8" Noncombustible material must be extended to at

least 8". See
cannot extend material, you must operate heater
with flue damper open.

Heat Resistant

Material

(A)

IMPORTANT:

minimum clearances, you must operate heater
with chimney flue damper open. See Install-

ing Damper Clamp Accessory for Vented
Operation, page 10.

Accessories,

Between 8" and 12",

If you cannot meet these

page 24).

above. If you

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

8

105073