Desa Tech RFN28TC Owner's Manual

VENT-FREE NATURAL GAS

®

RADIANT FLAME

OWNER’S OPERATION AND INSTALLATION MANUAL

RFN28TC

14,000 to 28,000 Btu/Hr

with Thermostat "C"

Model

HEATER

®

Shown with Optional

Mantel featuring

Built-in Base

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 performed by a

qualified installer, service agency, or the gas
supplier.

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

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

Combustion and Ventilation

page 6 of this manual.

Air for

,

This appliance may be installed in an aftermarket* manufactured (mobile) home, where not prohibited by
state or local codes.

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

Save this manual for future reference.

VENT-FREE NATURAL GAS RADIANT® FLAME 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.

Natural Gas: Natural gas is odorless. An
odor-making agent is added to natural gas.
The odor helps you detect a natural gas leak.
However, the odor added to natural gas can
fade. Natural 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. Use only natural gas. Do not convert
heater to use different fuel type.

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

4. This heater shall not be installed in a
bedroom or bathroom.

5. 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

• as a fireplace insert

• in high traffic areas

• in windy or drafty areas

6. 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 6 through 8.

7. If heater shuts off, do not relight until
you provide fresh, outside air . If heater
keeps shutting off, have it serviced.

8. Do not run heater

• where flammable liquids or vapors

are used or stored.

• under dusty conditions.

9. Never place any objects on the heater.

10. Surface of heater 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 shutdown.
Allow surface to cool before touching.

11. Carefully supervise young children
when they are in same room with
heater.

12. Make sure screen is in place before run­ning heater.

13. 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.

14. Do not use heater if any part has been
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.

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

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

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

2

103508

OWNER’S MANUAL

PRODUCT
IDENTIFICATION

Ignitor Button

Heater
Cabinet

Log

Figure 1 - Vent-Free Gas Log Natural Gas Space Heater

Control Knob

Lighting and
Warning

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Note:

remove lighting
and warning
plates from
heater.

Front
Panel

Do not

Screen

PRODUCT
FEATURES

Operation

This heater is clean burning. It requires no
outside venting. This heater 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.

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.

Thermostatic Heat Control

This heater has a thermostat sensing bulb
and a control valve. This results in the great­est heater comfort. This can also result in
lower gas bills.

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, 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

CAUTION: Do not remove the
metal data plates attached to the
heater. The data plates contain
important warranty information.

1. Remove heater from carton.

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

3. Make sure your heater includes two
hardware packets.

4. Check heater for any shipping damage.
If heater is damaged, promptly inform
dealer where you bought heater.

103508

3

VENT-FREE NATURAL GAS RADIANT® FLAME HEATER

ASSEMBLY

ASSEMBLING HEATER

Tools Required:

• Phillips screwdriver

• 5/16" hex wrench

• Slotted screwdriver

Removing Front Panel Of Heater

1. Remove two screws near bottom cor­ners of front panel with Phillips screw­driver .

2. Pull bottom of front panel forward, then
down (see Figure 2) .

WARNING: Always have
burner shield and screen in place
before operating heater. This pre­vents excessive temperatures on
heater surfaces.

Failure to position the parts in
accordance with these diagrams
or failure to use only parts spe­cifically approved with this heater
may result in property damage or
personal injury.

Piezo Ignitor

Attaching Brass Front Trim to
Front Panel

1. Locate brass front trim in brass trim
package.

2. Slide the head of two truss-head screws
from hardware packet into each end of
brass front trim (see Figure 5).

3. Line up screws with holes in front panel
(see Figure 4). Insert screws in holes.
Attach nuts from inside of front panel.
Tighten with wrench.

Front

Brass Front
Trim

Truss-Head
Screw

Figure 5 - Attaching Brass Front Trim to
Front Panel

Panel

Nut

Figure 2 - Removing Front Panel of Heater

Installing Log

Note:

For easier installation, lay heater on

its back.

1. Remove log from inside top of heater.
Discard protective packaging.

2. Attach ignitor cable to piezo ignitor
(see Figure 3).

3. With Phillips screwdri ver, remo ve four
screws holding screen in place. Re­move screen.

4. Gently slide log between log retaining
brackets on deflector assembly (see Fig­ure 4). The log should fit f irmly against
bottom of log retaining brackets.

5. Reattach screen using four screws re­moved in step 3.

Ignitor Cable

Figure 3 - Attaching Ignitor Cable to Piezo
Ignitor

Log

Front Panel

Screen

Truss­Head
Screw

Nut

Brass

Screw

Figure 4 - Assembling Heater

Heater Cabinet

Screw

Deflector

Log
Retaining
Brackets

Burner Shield

4

103508

OWNER’S MANUAL

ASSEMBLY

Continued

Assembling and Attaching
Brass Trim

1. Remove packaging from remaining
three pieces of brass trim.

2. Locate four brass screws, two adjust­ing plates with set screws, and two
shims in the hardware packet.

3. Align shim under adjusting plate as
shown in Figure 6.

4. Slide one end of adjusting plate/shim
in slot on mitered edge of top brass trim
(see Figure 6).

5. Slide other end of adjusting plate/shim
in slot on mitered edge of side brass
trim (see Figure 6).

6. While firmly holding edges of brass
trim together, tighten both set screws
on the adjusting plate with slotted
screwdriver.

7. Repeat steps 1 through 6 for other side.

8. Place the assembled trim on front of
heater cabinet. Attach on top and sides
with four brass screws included in hard­ware package (see Figure 7).

9. Reattach front panel to heater if you are
going to mount the heater to the base.
Do not reattach front panel at this time
if you are going to mount heater to wall.

Side Brass Trim

Slot

Figure 6 - Assembling Brass Trim

Screws

Assembled
Brass Trim

Set Screws

Adjusting
Plate

Mitered Edge

Top Brass Trim

Shim

Slot

103508

Figure 7 - Attaching Brass Trim to Heater

5

VENT-FREE NATURAL GAS RADIANT® FLAME HEATER

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 6 through 8 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 (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

mining Fresh-Air Flow for Heater
Location

and

Ventilation Air

, page 8.

, page 7.

-11

and

Deter-

kg

Confined and Unconfined Space

The National Fuel Gas Code (ANS Z223.1,
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
unconfining 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.

6

103508

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 worksheet 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: 2560 cu. ft. (volume of 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

* 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 8.

B. Vent room directly to the outdoors. See Ventilation Air From Outdoors, page 8.
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)

Example:

51,200 Btu/Hr (maximum the space can support)
58,000 Btu/Hr (actual amount of Btu/Hr used)

Gas water heater 30,000 Btu/Hr
Vent-free heater + 28,000 Btu/Hr
Total = 58,000 Btu/Hr

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

103508

National Fuel Gas Code, ANS Z223.1, 1992, Section 5.3,

7

or applicable local codes.

Continued

VENT-FREE NATURAL GAS RADIANT® FLAME 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 8). You can also
remove door into adjoining room (see op­tion 3, Figure 8). 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.

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.

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

Ventilation Grills

Ventilation

Grills

into Adjoining

Room,

Option 1

Figure 8 - Ventilation Air from Inside Building

Or

Remove
Door into
Adjoining

Room,

Option 3

Outlet
Air

Into Adjoining Room,

12"

Option 2

Ventilated
Attic

Outlet
Air

Inlet
Air

Inlet Air

12"

To Attic

To

Crawl

Space

Ventilated

Crawl Space

Figure 9 - Ventilation Air from Outdoors

8

103508