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Plumbing Design Dilemma Fireplaces

Dante's Valve for gas fireplace

last year

We are in the process of converting into gas fireplace insert. The technician who came to our house for electrical and gas line work estimate mentioned that they would need to drill a hole on either the wall or the floor and install a "Dante's valve" for the gas pipes. He said that this is needed for either gas logs or gas fireplace inserts.

My questions are:

1. is this the only way to go about this? does every one who has a gas fireplace has this valve on either the wall or floor?

2. it's always annoying to have to drill a hole on the house, but given these two options, which is better, on the wall or on the floor?

Thank you

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Comments (9)

jrb451
last year
Ours is on the wall. I'd prefer that to drilling a hole in a hardwood floor.
Imma S
Original Author
last year
@jrb451 yeah I get what you are saying. it's too bad we need to make a hole though :(
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PRO
HALLETT & Co.
last year
Yes you have to have this, it’s a safety shutoff. Putting it in the floor will likely cause less secondary damage as I would imagine putting it in the wall would require plaster and baseboard removal.
PRO
Patricia Colwell Consulting
last year
I guess it is a must but in your case we need to see your space . I would say in the wall probably but the one pic you show has a wood wall what is your space like?
palimpsest
last year
I would probably put it on the floor where it will be more inobtrusive.
Imma S
Original Author
last year
Thank you all. It looks like there is no other options except to make a hole on wall or floor. I wish I had know about this before I started this project, but I would probably still went ahead with it though.
0
kelli_ga
last year
Mine is in the raised hearth. The wood-burning fireplace box is wrapped in brick which extends outside. I have not used this fireplace yet and no gas source is currently installed.

In my previous home, there was not one, but we had a fireplace box and gas log set installed from scratch. The box was actually outside the exterior wall (flush with interior drywall) and the contractor built 3 walls around it. The natural gas went into that wall, I think. There was a pilot light and a knob inside the fireplace to turn it off and on. There was a natural gas meter just outside - I don’t know if that has anything to do with why there was no Dante’s valve.
0
palimpsest
last year
If you were building the FP from scratch you would probably put it in the fireplace construction somewhere.

It's just another hole, the walls are full of outlets and switches and lighting, and nobody thinks anything of it.
0
chinacatpeekin
last year
I have it low on the wall; it’s completely unobtrusive, but in your home it may be more visible. I put a large basket in front of it that hold some fireplace related items.
0

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