Monessen Solstice 33" Vent-Free Gas Insert — Blower Included, Pick Your Own Log Set
No chimney liner and no vent — the Monessen Solstice 33 is a vent-free gas insert rated 28,000 BTU/hr on natural gas or 27,000 on propane, with a millivolt or electronic ignition by model and a 135 CFM thermostatic blower already built in. It drops into a masonry fireplace or UL-listed box at least 33" wide, 23-7/8" high and 15-1/4" deep, or frames into a 33-1/2" by 24-1/2" by 16" rough opening, behind a 31" x 19" viewing area; the Natural Blaze burner, screen and canopy are in the carton, and the 18-inch log set you choose above, the liner and the surround are sold separately. from $2,049.
Choose the Solstice if you have an old masonry or factory-built fireplace that no longer earns its footprint and you want gas heat in it without relining the chimney — the opening only has to be cleaned and sealed, and the blower most inserts make you add is already in the unit. Take the millivolt control for a fire that lights with a piezo button and keeps burning through an outage; take the electronic control for push-button lighting from a wall switch or remote with a cold-climate pilot setting. Then pick the log set above, and below the cart the liner kit and the surround size for your opening — the small surround is 43" wide by 32" high, the large 50" by 35".
It is not right for a bedroom or a bathroom, or as the main heat source for a home; it is listed as a supplemental zone heater. It needs room air: a vent-free heater cannot go in a room that lacks the combustion-air volume the National Fuel Gas Code requires, and it puts moisture into the air, so very tight construction should add mechanical ventilation. It is not a flush, frameless look either — a black metal surround is part of every installation — and it is a traditional log fire only: the contemporary glass-media version in the manual is not sold here. If your existing opening is under 33" wide, 23-7/8" high or 15-1/4" deep, it will not fit.
Specifications
For a retrofit, the existing fireplace or UL-listed box must be at least 33" wide, 23-7/8" high and 15-1/4" deep with 22-3/4" of width at the rear, professionally cleaned, with its fresh-air vents and ash clean-out sealed. Built in, frame a rough opening 33-1/2" wide by 24-1/2" high by 16" deep — the headers may not rest on the firebox — or 37-1/4" along each wall with a 64-1/4" diagonal for a corner; the unit anchors to the floor or hearth with two supplied screws. Keep 9" from the inside of the appliance to a combustible side wall and 42" from the top of the opening to the ceiling; the back may touch a combustible wall. It cannot sit on carpet, vinyl or tile without a full-size metal or wooden base, and it must be at least 5" above any combustible flooring within 14" of its base. Combustible mantel clearance depends on how far the shelf projects — the manual's own example allows 2-1/2" of projection at 8" above the opening and 12" at 26" above it, with nothing combustible within 8" of the opening; see Figure 8 on page 9 of the installation manual. You can also send us your mantel depth. We're here to help! Gas enters through the side access door to a factory 1/2" shutoff and 18" flex line; natural gas runs 3.5" w.c. at the manifold from a 5.0" minimum inlet, and propane 10.0" w.c. from an 11.0"-13.0" inlet behind an external regulator. Ratings apply to 2,000 ft; above that the input drops 4% per 1,000 ft.
Features
- Vent-free — 28,000 BTU/hr on natural gas or 27,000 on propane with no chimney liner, no vent run and no outside-air kit, into an existing masonry fireplace, a UL-listed box or a framed wall
- The 135 CFM variable-speed thermostatic blower is built in and ships in the unit — no fan kit to buy
- Millivolt models run the fire with no electricity at the valve; the EcoLogic IPI electronic models add automatic lighting, a cold-climate standing-pilot switch and roughly 48 hours of battery back-up
- The 18-inch Natural Blaze burner, cast-iron grate, rock wool and volcanic rock are in the firebox — you choose the 18-inch log set: Beachcomber Burncrete, Berkley Oak (fiber ceramic or refractory) or Highland Oak
- Mesh screen and canopy ship with it, and the ODS pilot shuts the gas off if room oxygen drops
- Listed to ANSI Z21.11.2 and CSA design certified; approved for manufactured homes where local codes allow
Answers to common questions
Does it need a chimney liner, a vent or an outside-air kit?
No — no model on this page needs a vent, a flue liner or a working chimney. The Solstice is an unvented room heater that burns room air, so the existing fireplace is professionally cleaned and its fresh-air vents and ash clean-out sealed before the insert goes in, and nothing runs up the flue. What it does need is the room itself — enough volume of indoor combustion air to satisfy the National Fuel Gas Code, or combustion and ventilation air provided by one of the code's methods — plus a 1/2" gas line to the factory shutoff.
Where can it go, and how close can a mantel or shelf sit?
Any room except a bedroom or bathroom, out of drafts and traffic, with 9" from the inside of the appliance to a combustible side wall and 42" from the top of the opening to the ceiling; the back can touch a combustible wall, and on carpet, vinyl or tile it needs a full-size metal or wooden base and at least 5" of height above any combustible flooring within 14" of its base. Combustible mantel clearance depends on how far the shelf projects — the manual's example allows 2-1/2" of projection at 8" above the opening and 12" at 26" above it, with nothing combustible within 8" of the opening; see Figure 8 on page 9 of the installation manual, and the supplied canopy must be installed. You can also send us your mantel depth. We're here to help!
What’s included, what’s required, and what’s optional?
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Included in the box: 28,000 BTU/hr natural-gas or 27,000 BTU/hr propane input by model, with variable flame height; Millivolt piezo standing pilot or EcoLogic IPI electronic ignition, by model; Natural Blaze 18-inch burner with cast-iron grate and rear log bracket, plus rock wool and volcanic rock; Built-in 135 CFM variable-speed thermostatic blower with a grounded three-prong cord; ODS safety pilot that shuts the gas off if room oxygen drops; Mesh fireplace screen, black canopy with three screws, and two anchoring screws; Factory-fitted 18-inch stainless flex connector with a listed 1/2-inch T-handle manual shutoff; ANSI Z21.11.2 listing, CSA design certification, manufactured-home approval; HHT limited warranty — 20 years on the firebox, 10 years on the burner and refractory, 5 years on the vent-free burner and logs.
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Required to complete the installation, purchased separately: Log Set - an 18-inch Natural Blaze log set (Beachcomber Burncrete, Berkley Oak in fiber ceramic or refractory, or Highland Oak refractory); the insert ships without logs, and a correctly placed approved set is required before it is run; Interior Panel - one of three firebox liner kits (ceramic firebrick panels in either of two finishes, Black Porcelain or Black Magic Glass panels), which Monessen lists as required to complete the installation; Surround - the small (43-inch wide by 32-inch high) or large (50-inch by 35-inch) black metal surround that frames the insert; required to complete the installation; Gas Line - a 1/2-inch supply in new black iron or steel pipe to the factory shutoff, with an upstream manual shutoff, union tee, 1/8-inch NPT test point and sediment trap, run and purged by a qualified installer or licensed plumber; propane also needs an external regulator holding the tank supply at 13 inches w.c. or less; Electrical - a grounded 120 V, 60 Hz outlet for the built-in blower's three-prong cord (routed out the left or right side of the unit) and, on electronic-ignition models, the factory junction box wired to a 120 V circuit by a licensed electrician before the unit is closed in; the millivolt valve itself needs no power.
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Optional: The MVWS wired wall switch, RCB on/off or TSST thermostat hand-held remotes and the TS thermostat sensor for millivolt models, and extra volcanic rock for the firebox floor — the insert operates fully without any of them.
Millivolt or electronic ignition — what is the difference, and do I need an electrician?
The millivolt models have a standing pilot you light with the built-in piezo button, run the fire with no electricity at the valve, and adjust flame height at the LOW/HI knob; a wall switch, thermostat or RCB/TSST remote can be added on low-voltage wire. The electronic (EcoLogic IPI) models light the pilot and burner automatically from a wall switch or hand-held remote, need a licensed electrician to wire a 120 V circuit to the factory junction box before the unit is closed in, and add a cold-climate switch that keeps the pilot standing in a cold room. Either way the built-in blower needs a grounded 120 V outlet for its cord, so plan power at the fireplace on every model. Both are dedicated natural-gas or propane units — there is no field conversion.
What happens in a power outage?
The fire keeps burning whichever ignition you choose — only the blower stops. A millivolt model never uses household power for the valve, so nothing changes at the fire; an electronic model switches to its battery back-up, rated for roughly 48 hours of on/off operation (using high/low from a remote shortens that). The batteries are for outages, not everyday use.
What comes in the carton?
Every model ships with the insert and its 18-inch Natural Blaze burner, cast-iron grate and rear log bracket, rock wool and volcanic rock, the built-in 135 CFM blower, the mesh screen, the black canopy with its three screws, two anchoring screws, the manual, and an 18" stainless flex connector with a listed 1/2" T-handle shutoff already on the valve. The log set, liner kit, surround, remotes and wall switch are sold separately. Do not run it without the screen and canopy installed — both are mandatory.
Why does it smell the first time, and how often does it need service?
Every new unit burns off manufacturing oils for its first hours on high — open windows and let the odour clear; anything after that will be slight and fade with use. Because it burns room air, Monessen wants an unvented heater cleaned before use and at least once a year by a professional: burner air-intake holes, burner ports and the ODS pilot must stay free of lint, and candles, incense or oil lamps burned nearby leave soot the heater cannot filter.
Does buying from The Torch Guys affect my Monessen warranty?
No. HHT's warranty covers Monessen products bought through an authorized dealer, and The Torch Guys is one — we register the appliance and, if you ever need to claim, we deal with the manufacturer on your behalf. The firebox and heat exchanger carry 20 years on parts and 3 on labour, the burner, logs and refractory 10 years, the vent-free burner and logs 5 years, and electrical components and liner panels 2 years; the warranty transfers with the home. Keep your invoice and the model number; we hold the rest on file.
