Valcourt Antoinette Wood Burning Fireplace
A guillotine glass door that slides down out of sight under the hearth, and a 30-3/4" x 20-3/4" ceramic glass panel in front of the fire. The Valcourt Antoinette is a decorative wood-burning fireplace built in Quebec: ULC-S610 / UL 127 listed, EPA Low Mass Phase II qualified at 4.2 g/kg, 48-7/8" wide by 64-1/8" tall by 26-7/8" deep, vented on 8" chimney, and sized for 18" logs. from $6,374, before the faceplate and interior panel you choose above.
Choose the Antoinette if the fire is the point — a big, clean-lined window on the flames in a living room, and a door that disappears when you want the open-hearth feel with just the screen. It suits a tiled, stone or brick surround (the faceplate matches the material), and it is a decorative wood fireplace that carries an EPA Low Mass Phase II qualification.
It is not right if you want a primary heater. Valcourt designs the Antoinette for ambiance, puts its recommended heating area under 1,000 square feet, and calls it a supplementary heat source. It is a natural-draft wood fireplace on 8" chimney that needs at least 15 feet of system height from its base to the cap, fireplace included (20 feet with elbows), it cannot go in a mobile home, and it burns dry cordwood — the only alternative is a 100%-wood manufactured log, no more than three at a time. If you need serious heat from wood, look at Valcourt's high-efficiency fireplaces such as the Lafayette II or the Waterloo instead.
Specifications
The fireplace is 48-7/8" wide, 64-1/8" tall and 26-7/8" deep and sits on a footprint of about 49" x 27-1/8"; a normal floor usually needs no extra support. Keep 8" from the door opening to a side wall, 20" to the opposite wall where one side is walled, and leave the space directly above the fireplace free of combustible framing for 7 feet from its base. A combustible shelf 6" deep sits at least 46" above the base, 8" deep at 48", 10" at 50" and 12" at 52". The framing, facing and mantel details are drawn in Figures 12 to 18 on pages 18 to 23 of the installation manual, and the ceiling clearance in Figure 9 on page 15 — send us your plan and we will check it with you. In front, lay non-combustible floor protection 16" deep and 8" past each side of the door opening. The chimney is 8" listed factory-built pipe, 15 feet minimum including the fireplace, 20 feet with elbows.
Features
- Guillotine glass door and spark-guard screen that slide up out of view, worked with a removable handle — burn with the glass closed or the screen alone
- 30-3/4" x 20-3/4" ceramic glass panel rated to 1400°F for a wide view of the fire
- EPA Low Mass Phase II qualified decorative fireplace: 4.2 g/kg, about 70% cleaner than an unqualified decorative fireplace
- Cast-iron andirons, two C-Cast fire baffles, the top heat shield and spacers, and the 4" fresh-air adapter all ship in the box
- Takes 18" logs east-west in a 5.3 cu ft non-catalytic firebox
- Vents on 8" listed factory-built chimney or a relined masonry chimney, and is tested for a gas log set up to 39,000 BTU/h
Answers to common questions
What’s included, what’s required, and what’s optional?
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Included in the box: Guillotine glass door and spark-guard screen door with the removable handle; Two painted cast-iron andirons; Two C-Cast fire baffles, top heat shield and spacers; 4" fresh-air intake adapter (two left-side knock-outs); ULC-S610 / UL 127 listed; EPA Low Mass Phase II qualified; Valcourt Limited Lifetime Warranty.
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Required to complete the installation, purchased separately: Faceplate - the straight masonry trim for a flush brick or stone finish, or the straight narrow overlap for thin facing such as tile; one of the two must be fitted to complete the installation; Interior Panel - one set of moulded refractory brick panels, classic or contemporary; the firebox is not used without them; Venting - an 8" listed factory-built chimney from the approved list (see pg 38 in the installation manual) or a lined masonry chimney; Floor Protection - non-combustible floor protection at least 16" in front of and 8" beyond each side of the door opening, with a non-combustible joint to the fireplace; Non-combustible surround - cement board behind the finishing material, framed per the installation manual.
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Optional: The 4" fresh-air intake register with airtight damper — the fireplace burns without it, though outside combustion air is strongly recommended and some jurisdictions require it; the insulated pipe, wall termination and clamps are supplied on site; A gas log set up to 39,000 BTU/h or a gas lighter up to 27,000 BTU/h can be fitted later through the gas inlet knock-outs — the fireplace burns wood without either.
What chimney does it need, and is any of it included?
None of the chimney ships with the fireplace. The Antoinette vents straight up on 8" factory-built chimney listed to UL 103 HT, ULC S629 or ULC S-604 from one of Valcourt's listed systems — Ventis, Nexvent, DuraVent Dura Tech and Dura Plus, Selkirk CF Sentinel, Super Pro 2100 and Super Vent 2100, Security S-2100+, Metal Fab Temp Guard or American Metal HS and HSS; the fireplace is listed only with those — with that system's anchor plate, supports, firestops, flashing, storm collar and cap; a masonry chimney relined to 8" also works. Plan at least 15 feet of system height including the fireplace (20 feet with elbows), 3 feet above the roof penetration and 2 feet above anything within 10 feet, and 2" of clearance where the pipe passes through floors and roof. Tell us your ceiling and roof heights and we will size the run with you.
What has to go on the floor in front of it, and how close can the walls be?
Non-combustible floor protection at least 16" deep in front of the door opening and 8" past each side of it, with a non-combustible joint — sheet metal or sand-cement grout — where it meets the fireplace. A side wall can be as close as 8" to the door opening; where one side is walled, the opposite wall keeps 20". A combustible shelf 6" deep sits at least 46" above the base of the fireplace (deeper shelves higher, per the table on page 28 of the manual), and nothing combustible frames the space directly above the fireplace for 7 feet from its base — the framing drawings are Figures 12 to 18 on pages 18 to 23 of the installation manual.
Can I put a TV above it?
Valcourt does not publish a heat-management path for a television above the Antoinette, so we do not recommend one. Valcourt's own guidance is that the area above any fireplace gets hot, that most TV makers advise against a heat source nearby, and that the TV manufacturer's proximity instructions govern. What it does chart is a combustible shelf: 46" above the base at 6" deep, up to 52" at 12" deep.
Does it need outside air?
It burns without a fresh-air kit, but Valcourt strongly recommends one and some jurisdictions require it — a fireplace draws combustion air out of the house, and in a tight house that can starve a furnace or pull smoke back in. The 4" adapter is already on the fireplace, with a knock-out on the left side and another at the left rear. The 4"Ø fresh-air intake register with airtight damper is below the cart; the insulated 4" pipe (under 20 feet; 6" beyond that or with more than two bends, 30 feet maximum), the outside wall termination and the clamps are supplied on site.
Can I add a gas log set or a gas lighter?
Yes. The Antoinette is tested with a gas log set up to 39,000 BTU/h and with a gas lighter up to 27,000 BTU/h, and it has two gas inlet knock-outs. With a gas lighter burning the glass doors stay open and the screens closed, and with any decorative gas appliance the damper stays fully open. The gas connection and the log set's own installation follow that product's manual and local code.
How much heat does it give, and what does it burn?
It is built for the view of the fire, not as a furnace: Valcourt calls it a supplementary heat source and puts its recommended heating area under 1,000 square feet, and it publishes no heat-output rating for it. It burns dry, seasoned cordwood — hardwood preferred, 15 to 20 percent moisture — laid directly on the firebox floor behind the andirons with no grate. It cannot be installed in a mobile home.
How does the warranty work if something goes wrong?
Valcourt's Limited Lifetime Warranty covers the combustion chamber welds, castings and ceramic glass for life (one replacement, four years of labour), the trims, heat shields and C-Cast baffles for five years, and the refractory bricks for one year, for the original purchaser. The Torch Guys handles it for you: we register the fireplace and, if you ever need to claim, we deal with the manufacturer on your behalf rather than handing you a phone number. Keep your invoice and the serial number from the nameplate on the back of the unit.
