What Is A Gas Fireplace Blower?
A gas fireplace blower is essential if you want to maximise the efficiency of your gas fire. They work on the simple principle of the fire heating up the cast iron blower tubes, similar to those in cast iron radiators, and then a fan unit blowing the heated air contained within the tubes into the room.
The effect is that the blower is able to push more heated air into the room than the fire is able to do by radiating, thus giving you greater efficiency from your fire.
Fireplace blower kit installation is relatively straightforward. Kits tend to come with installation instructions but be aware use of a fan does require an electrical power source close at hand to fuel the fan unit. Most kits will come with a blower fan unit, mounting brackets, power cords, temperature and speed control unit. There are many kits for gas fireplaces on the market and they tend to range in price from under $100 through to $1000. Your fire may already have a blower unit fitted without you knowing, and should you have problems, you can easily find motors and fans to repair any existing models you may have.
If you wish to purchase a fan for a fireplace you will generally need to know the dimensions of the existing fireplace and style (log fire, stove etc) as most manufacturers supply fireplace blowers to suit both size and style of fire. The top brands to look out for are Heatilator, Majestic and Napoleon although others also supply selections of spares and kits.
Thermo Rite Gas Log Blower – This unit improves the efficiency of your log fire giving off an estimated 25000 BTU’s of heat per hour. The unit comes equipped with a thermostatically controlled fan that turns on at 110F and off at 90F for maximum efficiency. Fan motors can be positioned on either side of your grating to suit your power supply. When ordering, measure the floor plan of your fireplace to allow selection from the two sizes available. This model is designed for masonery fireplaces and should not be used with zero clearance fireplaces. Priced from $533 to $620 dependant on size option.
Majestic Gas Fireplace Fan Kit – Model shown is the Fireplace Blower for Majestic FK24 Rotom Replacement # R7-RB65, a replacement blower which comes with a cord, speed control thermo switch as well as fan blower unit. Blower length is 12.9″ flange opening is 9.5″ and comes fitted to a base plate 15″ x 4″. Comes with instructions for fitting and can be fitted in under 1 hour by an enthusiast but a qualified technician is recommended.
Napoleon FK550 Blower Kit – This fan kit is a replacement item for Napoleon/Wolf Steel/Continental GZ550-1kt and fits all Napoleon direct vent gas fireplaces. Comes with a two year warranty as standard. Kit includes blower fan, mounting brackets, temperature sensor, vibration pad, wiring harness, variable speed control and all necessary installation instructions for fitting.