Monessen Artisan 48" Vent-Free Linear Gas Fireplace — Remote, LED Lighting and Reflective Glass Included
No chimney and no vent run — the Monessen Artisan 48 is an unvented linear gas fireplace that frames into any wall a gas line can reach, at 99.9% efficiency, rated 39,000 BTU/hr on natural gas and 38,000 on propane as dedicated models of each fuel. The carton is the complete fireplace: IntelliFire Touch 2.0 ignition with a battery backup, the IFT2-RC450 touchscreen remote, multicolour LED hearth lighting, reflective Black Magic Glass panels on the back and sides, four bags of Diamond crushed glass media and the air-deflection glass behind a 48" x 17" opening. The framed rough opening is 52-5/8" wide by 39-3/4" high by 13-1/8" deep. from $4,219.
Choose the Artisan 48 if you want the full Artisan presentation out of the crate — the RC450 remote, the LED hearth lighting and the reflective black glass interior are all standard here, where the 42 sells each as a kit — and if a 52-5/8" framed width and 39,000 BTU/hr suit the room. It is the same 17" opening height and 13-1/8" framing depth as every Artisan, so it drops into the same wall build as the other widths.
It is not right for a bedroom or a bathroom — both are barred — or as the primary heat source for a home; it is listed as supplemental room heat. A vent-free heater also needs room: at least 50 cubic feet of space per 1,000 BTU/hr of gas appliances in it — roughly 1,950 cubic feet for this 39,000 BTU/hr unit — so a small, tightly sealed room is the wrong place, and very tight construction should add mechanical ventilation because unvented appliances put moisture into the air. If the room is small or you want a lower heat tier, the Artisan 42 offers a 24,500 BTU/hr model.
Specifications
Frame a rough opening 52-5/8" wide by 39-3/4" high by 13-1/8" deep — 13-3/4" deep if you finish with Install Option 2, the recessed method the trim kit and faces use — or 55-3/8" along each wall for a corner installation. Keep 6" from the inside of the appliance to a combustible side wall and 36" from the opening to the ceiling; the back may sit against a combustible wall and the unit sits directly on a wood floor, never on carpet, vinyl or tile. Combustible mantel clearance depends on how deep the mantel is — see Figure 3.8 on page 16 of the installation manual. You can also send us your mantel depth. We're here to help! The 7-1/4" non-combustible board ships with the fireplace and must stay above the opening. Gas enters through the left side or the bottom to a factory 1/2" shutoff; natural gas runs 5.0"-10.0" w.c. inlet and propane 11.0"-13.0" w.c. with an external regulator. Ratings apply to 2,000 ft; above that the input drops 4% per 1,000 ft.
How the Artisan 48 compares to the other Artisan sizes
Every Artisan shares the 17" opening height, the IntelliFire Touch 2.0 ignition and the vent-free listing; they differ in width, output and what ships standard. This 48 frames 52-5/8" wide at 39,000 BTU/hr with the remote, LED lighting and reflective glass panels included, from from $4,219. The same 48" x 17" firebox is sold as a see-through that opens to two rooms, or to a room and a covered patio, at from $4,569. The 42 frames 46-5/8" wide in a 24,500 or 34,000 BTU/hr tier and sells the remote, lighting and glass panels as kits, from from $2,829; the 60 frames 64-5/8" wide at 40,000 BTU/hr with the same standard equipment as the 48, from $5,399, and the 72 frames 76-5/8" wide at the same 40,000 BTU/hr.
Features
- 39,000 BTU/hr on natural gas (38,000 on propane) from a 48-inch linear burner, vent-free at 99.9% efficiency — no chimney and no vent run
- The IFT2-RC450 touchscreen remote ships in the carton — flame on/off, flame height and the LED lighting from one control
- Multicolour LED hearth lighting under the fireglass, standard on the 48, so the firebox glows with the flame on or off
- Reflective Black Magic Glass interior panels on the back and both sides multiply the flame — part of the 48, not a kit
- IntelliFire Touch 2.0 ignition with a factory-installed battery backup that keeps the fire running through a power outage
- Four bags of Diamond crushed glass media, the air-deflection glass, the 7-1/4-inch non-combustible board and the fire screen all ship with it
Answers to common questions
Does it need a chimney, a vent, or an outside air kit?
No — both models install the same way. The Artisan 48 is an unvented room heater: it burns room air, needs no flue or outside vent, and as a zero-clearance unit it frames against or into any wall a gas line reaches. What it does need is the room itself — at least 50 cubic feet of volume per 1,000 BTU/hr of gas appliances in the space — plus a 1/2" gas line and an unswitched 120 V circuit to its junction box.
Where can it go, and how close can a mantel, shelf or TV sit?
Any room except a bedroom or bathroom, out of drafts and traffic, with 36" from the opening to the ceiling and 6" from the inside of the appliance to a combustible side wall; the back can touch a combustible wall and it sits directly on a wood floor. Combustible mantel clearance depends on how deep the mantel is — see Figure 3.8 on page 16 of the installation manual. For a television, Monessen publishes good-faith TV guidelines — see Figure 3.12 on page 18 — and defers to the TV maker's own temperature limits, so measure the actual TV temperature at installation. 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: 39,000 BTU/hr natural-gas input (38,000 on propane), variable flame; IntelliFire Touch 2.0 intermittent pilot ignition with ODS and a factory-installed battery backup pack; IFT2-RC450 touchscreen remote control; Multicolour LED hearth lighting (strips, power supply, ACM and RF module); Reflective Black Magic Glass interior panels — back and both sides; Fire screen (frame and screen assembly) — the vent-free safety barrier; Four bags of Diamond crushed glass media — the burning display that ships standard — and the air-deflection glass; 7-1/4" non-combustible board and anchoring screws; Factory-connected 1/2" T-handle gas shutoff valve and flexible connector; UL listing to ANSI Z21.11.2 for unvented room heaters, manufactured-home approved; HHT limited warranty — 20 years on the firebox, 10 years on burner and refractory, 5 years on the vent-free burner and logs.
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Required to complete the installation, purchased separately: Gas Line - a 1/2" NPT supply to the built-in shutoff, natural gas or propane to match the model, run and purged by a qualified installer (propane also needs an external regulator holding 13" w.c. or less); Electrical - an unswitched 120 V circuit to the factory junction box, wired by a licensed electrician (GFCI-protected where codes require).
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Optional: Finish kits (satin black trim kit or a contemporary satin black or veined copper face), the IFT-RC150U wireless wall switch or IFT-WFM Wi-Fi module, the stone kit, the driftwood log set and alternative fireglass colours — the fireplace operates fully without any of them.
How do the remote and the lighting work?
The IFT2-RC450 remote that ships with every 48 turns the flame on and off, adjusts its height, and runs the LED hearth lighting — on/off, colour choice and intensity — from one touchscreen. The control module answers the last command it receives, so you can add the IFT-RC150U wireless wall switch for simple on/off or the IFT-WFM Wi-Fi module to run it from the IntelliFire app; with the module's selector left in ON, the burner simply runs at high with a 9-hour safety shutoff.
What happens in a power outage?
It keeps burning on either fuel. The IntelliFire Touch 2.0 ignition has a factory-installed battery pack in the control cavity — load four AA batteries (not included) and the system switches from household power to battery automatically. The LED lighting and remote-dependent functions are lost on batteries, and the manual reserves battery operation for outages rather than everyday use.
Can I change the glass colour, add stones or logs?
Yes, within Monessen's approved list on either model. Four bags of Diamond fireglass ship standard; Bronze, Onyx and Sapphire are the other approved crushed glass colours, and you should not add more media than the bags supplied because too much starves the burner of air. The STONEKIT tumbled-look stones sit on the glass outside the burner, and the CDLS driftwood log set mounts on pins over it — but stones and logs are never installed together, and only Hearth & Home Technologies-approved accessories may be used in a vent-free firebox.
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 including the remote and lights 2 years. Keep your invoice and the model number; we hold the rest on file.
