Flue or not ?

[roythegrass]

I would have been best posting in the Gas Fitters Only forum but I'm not a RGI so here goes.

We wish to have installed either a Bells vento classic or a Gazco Riva2 750HL Edge -virtually identical gas fires.

The Bells vento classic requires a balanced flue or possibly a chimney flue. However on their webpage Gazco say the Riva 2 “requires no additional flue liner when installed into an existing masonry chimney”. (We have an external brick chimney.)

Both manufacturers and their retailers insist they’re right and don’t comment on the competitions products. How can two similar gas fires have differing systems for exhausting the fumes?

Thanks for any input.
Links:

http://www.interfocos.com/en/fireplaces/vento-classic-small

http://www.stovax.com/stove-fire/riva2-750hl-gas-fires/riva2-750hl-edge/

 

[muggles]

Just because they look the same at the front, doesn't mean they work the same. The Bells is balanced flue, meaning that it draws combustion air into the fire via a dedicated air connection ducted to outside. This is probably in the form of a concentric flue arrangement, so their flue kit will be needed

The Gazco is open flue, meaning that it will draw its combustion air from the room in which it is installed. This means that you will need a permanent-open air vent drilling through your wall to outside, to replace the air being used by the fire

 

[simond]

I hate gas fires but out of the two, if the Bells balanced flue model can be installed in your chosen location, it is much safer.

As Muggles says the Gazco will need permanent ventilation. I have experience with these Gazco remoe control gas fires and the battery base unit in the fire is a ridiculous solution. The batteries have to be listening for the remote 24/7 and as a result they go flat regularly. The remote control looks like it was designed by Microsoft, as every operation is unfathomably complicated.

Even better, until mid last year, if you let the batteries go flat in the fire for more than a month, the internal PCB lost its programming and was scrap, could not be reawakened due to a design fault. Yes, really. Gazco have now changed the design, but this was a joke.

 

[roythegrass]

Thanks for the input folks.
We had virtually decided on the Bells vento, but.... our existing gas supply is 15mm but another 'approved' Bells dealer said it can only be installed with a 22mm supply otherwise the flame height/spread will diminish when the central heating is on and they were having problems with this fire with previous clients who had experienced this issue. In contrast another approved dealer says 15mm is adequate. Whilst I know nothing about gas fires I would have thought that the most important factor was the gas pressure where the fire joins the existing supply pipe.

 

[Agile]

The only relevant feature is the distance of the supply pipe!

That determines the size of pipe needed using the consumption of the fire.

Tony

 

[FiremanT]

The only relevant feature is the distance of the supply pipe!
.

Tony

Maximum gas rate is also a tad imortant