Your picture is too small to make out any details. I'm not sure what that "shield" you are referring to is, whether it is part of the fireplace or something someone added later. It looks like you have a wood burning fireplace with a ventless gas log installed and someone placed that metal shield at the top to block of the flue, but I could be completely wrong.

Here's what is needed in order to determine what you need:

Hi Res picture of the fireplace close up

Hi Res picture of the fireplace and from a distance so we can see it floor to ceiling

Picture of the fireplace label

Picture of the gas log label

Hopefully you can find the manufacturers label for both the fireplace and the gas logs. The fireplace label will either be on one of the sides near the opening, or up under that shield at the top. If this is an unvented gas log, there should be a label chained to the grate or burner somewhere on the bottom or back of the log set...unless whoever installed it removed it, which you are not supposed to do.

That metal “shelf” is the lintel. It’s holding everything up.

Yeah, I know. What’re you’re thoughts about the shield?

@Hansen, it’s got a gas burner with a glow getter burner 36k BTU and Charisma log set.

The firebox is Monessen Mcuf42D-R. https://www.hearthsidedistributors.com/MCUF42D-R

Monessen’s instructions say you need the “canopy” or deflector but also refer to another drawing that’s somewhat ambiguous.

The “canopy” is the black “bar” directly under the lintel, but as you can see, the lintel and brick extends past the canopy. So my question is, wouldn’t the lintel do what the “canopy” is designed to do, and therefore eliminate the need for the “canopy”?

Also, it’ll be outside, the surround is brick, I may do a brick mantle, so no worries about combustibles.

You thoughts?

Also, the shield or canopy is the piece you see angled downward, it screws to the front/top and is designed to deflect heat. There’s no flue, it’s an unvented firebox. Thanks

If you have a full masonry fireplace, the heat shield is likely unneeded. The one caveat to that would be if direct infra red heating of the steel lintel would cause it to over-expand lengthwise and crack the brick structure. Also, if there is a gap behind the steel lintel that could let hot air creep up into the wall structure, I would keep the heat shield in place.

To add to Hansen: Infra red heating close to the firebox can get things quite hot! I once had a built-in Dover cast iron fireplace that started smoking combustibles near the hot air convection outlets. It was from direct IR heating off the firebox. I installed a steel interceptor screen to block the IR and all was well after that.

Can you elaborate on the steel interceptor screen. I have a screen across the front, but don’t know if that’s what you’re referring to. Thanks

Chris, if you don't like the way the prefab fireplace looks with the hood, you can add a fireplace mesh door mounted to the brick opening that will pretty much conceal the fireplace and make it look more like a masonry fireplace. If you want to see how that looks, I can create some mockups for you if you post a picture of the fireplace taken from about 8 or 10 feet away straight in front of fireplace so it looks as square as possible.

Thanks, let me know if this works. From my understanding, the black metal on the bottom (approx 5" wide x 42" long) will be covered by the brick.