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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
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 quali-
ed installer, service agency or the gas supplier.
UNVENTED (VENT-FREE) GAS FIREPLACE
OWNER’S OPERATION AND INSTALLATION MANUAL
SPARK MODERN FIRES
MODEL 53
FR-N , FR-P
FIRE RIBBON
™
2
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 addi-
tional 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 air must
be provided. Refer to Air for Combustion and Ventilation
section of this manual.
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
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Safety Information .............................................. 3
Local Codes ....................................................... 4
Locating Firebox ................................................ 5
Product Specifications........................................ 5
Air For Combustion and Ventilation ................... 6
Installation .......................................................... 8
Operating Fireplace .......................................... 17
Inspecting Burners ........................................... 19
Cleaning and Maintenance ................................20
Wiring Diagram ..................................................21
Specifications .....................................................21
Troubleshooting ................................................. 22
Illustrated Parts Breakdown and Parts List ........ 26
Warranty Information ....................................Back Cover
This fireplace has been tested and approved by OMNI-Test
laboratories, Inc. under ANSI Z21.11.2b-2004 Unvented
Gas-Fired Room Heaters
Framing ............................................................. 11
3
SAFETY INFORMATION
WARNING: This product contains and/or generates chemicals
known to the state of California
to cause cancer or birth defects
or other reproductive harm.
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 and Propane/LP Gas: Natural and pro-
pane/LP gases are 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.
WARNING: Do not use a
blower insert, heat exchanger
insert or other accessory not approved for use with this heater.
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.
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.
Fireplace front becomes very
hot when running fireplace.
Keep children and adults away
from hot surfaces to avoid
burns or clothing ignition. Fireplace will remain hot for a time
after shutdown. Allow surfaces
to cool before touching.
Carefully supervise young children when they are in the room
with fireplace. When using the
optional hand-held remote accessory, keep selector switch
inside firebox in the OFF posi-
tion to prevent children from turning on burners with remote.
Keep the appliance area clear
and free from combustible materials, gasoline and other flammable vapors and liquids.
4
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 (propane/LP units only).
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
neighborʼs phone. Follow the gas supplierʼs
instructions
•
if you cannot reach your gas supplier, call
the fire department
4. This fireplace shall not be installed in a bedroom or bathroom.
5.
Do not use this fireplace as a wood-burning
fireplace.
6. To prevent the creation of soot, follow the
instructions in Cleaning and Maintenance
section.
7. 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.
8
. This fireplace needs fresh air ventilation to run
properly. This fireplace has an Oxygen Deplet
ion Sensing (ODS) safety shutoff system. The
ODS shuts down the fireplace if enough fresh
air is not available. See Air for Combustion
and Ventilation, page 6. If fireplace keeps
shutting off, see Troubleshooting, page 21.
9. Do not run fireplace
• where flammable liquids or vapors are used
or stored
•
under dusty conditions
10. Do not use this fireplace to cook food or burn
paper or other objects.
SAFETY INFORMATION
Continued
11. Do not use fireplace if any part has been
exposed to or under water. Immediately call
a qualified service technician to inspect the
fireplace and to replace any part of the control
system and any gas control which has been
under water.
12. Turn fireplace off and let cool before servicing.
Only a qualified service person should service
and repair fireplace.
13. Operating fireplace above elevations of 4,500
feet could cause pilot outage.
14.
To prevent performance problems in propane/LP
units, do not use propane/LP fuel tanks of less
than 100 lbs. capacity (propane/LP units only).
15.
Provide adequate clearances around air
openings.
LOCAL CODES
Install and use fireplace with care. Follow all local
codes. In the absence of local codes, use the latest edition of The National Fuel Gas Code ANSI
Z223.1/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
S
tate of Massachusetts: The installa-
t
ion must be made by a licensed plumber
or gas fitter in the Commonwealth of
Massachusetts.
Sellers of unvented propane or natural
gas-fired supplemental room heaters shall
provide to each purchaser a copy of 527
CMR 30 upon sale of the unit.
Vent-free gas products are prohibited for
bedroom and bathroom installation in the
Commonwealth of Massachusetts.
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.
Keep the appliance area clear
and free from combustible materials, gasoline and other flammable vapors and liquids.
5
LOCATING FIREBOX
PLANNING
Plan where you will install the firebox. This will save time and money later when you install the firebox.
Before installation, consider the following:
1. Where the firebox will be located. Allow for wall and ceiling clearances (see Installation Clear-
ances, page 9.
2. Everything needed to complete installation.
3. Proper air for combustion and ventilation.
PRODUCT SPECIFICATIONS
FIRE RIBBON - VENT FREE
FRONT VIEW
36"
11"
2"
RIGHT SIDE VIEW
8.15"
18"
28.6"
31.1"
TOP VIEW
0.750"
12"
41"
18"
GAS LINE ACCESS, BOTH SIDES
5.50"
5"
6
AIR FOR COMBUSTION
AND VENTILATION
WARNING: This firebox 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.
Todayʼs 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, fireboxes, 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 fuel-burning appliances.
PROVIDING ADEQUATE
VENTILATION
The following are excerpts from National Fuel
Gas Code, ANSI Z223.1/NFPA 54, Section 5.3,
Air for Combustion and Ventilation.
All spaces in homes fall into one of the three following ventilation classifi
cations:
1. Unusually Tight Construction
2. Unconfined Space
3. Confined Space
The information on pages 8 through 15 will help
you classify your space and provide adequate
ventilation.
Unusually T
ight 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 out-
s
ide atmosphere have a continuous
water vapor retarder with a rating of
one perm (6 x 10
-11
kg per pa-sec-m2) or
less with openings gasketed or sealed
and
b. weather stripping has been added on
openable windows and doors and
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 Ventilation Air From Outdoors,
page 8.
If your home does not meet all of the three
criteria above, proceed to Determining
Fresh-Air Flow for Heater Location, page 7.
Confined and Unconfined Space
The National Fuel Gas Code, ANSI Z223.1/NFPA
54 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.
* Adjoining rooms are communicating only if
there are doorless passageways or ventilation grills
between them.
7
AIR FOR COMBUSTION
AND VENTILATION
Continued
DETERMINING FRESH-AIR FLOW
FOR HEA
TER 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 doorl
ess 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)
E
xample: Space size 22 ft. (length) x 18 ft.
(width) x 8 ft. (ceiling height) = 3168 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.
Multiply the space volume by 20 to determine
the maximum Btu/Hr the space can support.
__________ (volume of space) x 20 = (Maxi-
mum Btu/Hr the space can support)
E
xample: 3168 cu. ft. (volume of space) x 20 =
63,360 (maximum Btu/Hr the space can support)
3. Add the Btu/Hr of all fuel burning appliances in
the space.
Vent-free fireplace ___________ 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. Dir
ect-vent draws combustion air from the outdoors
and vents to the outdoors.
Example:
Gas water heater __________ Btu/Hr
Vent-free fireplace + ________ Btu/Hr
Total = ________ Btu/Hr
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: 63,360 Btu/Hr (maximum the space
can support)
79,000 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 maxim
um 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 adjoin-
i
ng room. If the extra space provides an unconfined
space, remove door to adjoining room or add
ventilation grills between rooms. See Ventilation
Air From Inside Building, page 8.
B. Vent room directly to the outdoors. See Ventila-
tion
Air From Outdoors, page 8.
C. Install a lower Btu/Hr fireplace, 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.
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 National Fuel Gas Code,
ANSI Z223.1/NFPA 54 Section 5.3
or applicable local codes.
40,000
39,000
79,000
8
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 1). You
can also remove door into adjoining room (see
option 3, Figure 1). Follow the National Fuel Gas
Code, ANSI Z223.1/NFPA 54, Section 5.3, Air for
Combustion and Ventilation for required size of
ventilation grills or ducts.
AIR FOR COMBUSTION
AND VENTILATION
Continued
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, ANSI Z223.1/NFPA 54,
Section 5.3, Air for Combustion and Ventilation for
required size of ventilation grills or ducts.
IMPORTANT: Do not provide openings for inlet
or outlet air into attic if attic has a thermostatcontrolled power vent. Heated air entering the attic
will activate the power vent.
Figure
2 - Ventilation Air from Outdoors
Figure 1 - Ventilation Air from Inside
Building
Outlet
Air
V
entilated
Attic
Outlet
A
ir
Inlet
Air
Inlet Air
V
entilated
Crawl Space
T
o
Crawl
Space
To Attic
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 fireplace.
Follow all local codes.
WARNING: Never install the
fireplace
• in a bedroom or bathroom
• in a recreational vehicle
• where curtains, furniture,
clothing 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
12
12
Ventilation Grills
Into Adjoining
Room, Option 2
Ventilation Grills
Into Adjoining
Room,
Option 1
Or
Remove
Door into
Adjoining
Room,
Option 3
"
"
9
CAUTION: This fireplace creates warm air currents. These
currents move heat to wall surfaces next to fireplace. Installing
fireplace next to vinyl or cloth
wall coverings or operating
heater where impurities (such
as, but not limited, to tobacco
smoke, aromatic candles, cleaning fluids, oil or kerosene lamps,
etc.) in the air exist, may discolor
walls or cause odors.
Note: Your fireplace is designed to be used in zero
clearance installations. Wall or framing material
can be placed directly against any exterior surface
on the rear, sides or top of your fireplace, except
where standoff spacers are integrally attached. If
standoff spacers are attached to your fireplace,
these spacers can be placed directly against wall
or framing materials.
Use the dimensions shown for rough openings to
create the easiest installation. See Built-In Fire-
place Installation, page
10.
IMPORTANT: Vent-free heaters add moisture to
the air. Although this is beneficial, installing firep
lace in rooms without enough ventilation air may
cause mildew to form from too much moisture. See
Air for Combustion and Ventilation, page 6.
IMPORTANT: Make sure the fireplace is level.
If fireplace is not level, it will not work
properly.
CHECK GAS TYPE
Use the correct gas type (natural or propane/LP)
for your fireplace. If your gas supply is not correct, do not install fireplace. Call dealer where you
bought fireplace for proper type fireplace.
WARNING: This appliance
is equipped for (natural or propane/LP) gas. Field conversion
is not permitted.
INSTALLATION
Continued
INSTALLATION CLEARANCES
WARNING: Maintain the
minimum clearances. If you
can, provide greater clearances
from floor, ceiling and adjoining
wall.
Carefully follow the instructions below. This will
ensure safe installation.
Minimum Wall and Ceiling Clearances
A. Clearances from the side of the fireplace
cabinet to any combustible material and wall
should follow diagram in Figure 3.
Example: The face of a mantel, bookshelf,
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 cabinet (see Figure 3).
B. Clearances from the top of the firebox open-
ing
to the ceiling should not be less than 42
inches.
C.
When the firebox is installed on carpeting or
other combustible material, other than wood
flooring, the firebox should be installed on a
metal or wood panel extending the full width
and depth of the enclosure.
D.
Clearances from the bottom of firebox to the
floor is 0 inches.
CAUTION: Do not install the
firebox directly on carpet or
vinyl.
*Minimum 16 inches from Side Wall
*
Example
Figure 3 - Minimum Clearance for
Combustible to Wall
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