Monessen Artisan 48" See-Through Vent-Free Linear Gas Fireplace — Interior or Exterior Wall
One fire for two spaces and no chimney to build — the Monessen Artisan 48 See-Through is an unvented linear gas fireplace with a 48" x 17" opening on each face, framed into an interior wall between two rooms or into an exterior wall between a room and a covered patio, at 99.9% efficiency. It is rated 39,000 BTU/hr on natural gas and 38,000 on propane as dedicated models of each fuel, and 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 side panels, four bags of Diamond crushed glass media, and a screen, deflection glass and non-combustible board for each side. The framed rough opening is 52-5/8" wide by 39-3/4" high and only 11-5/8" deep on an interior wall. from $4,569.
Choose the see-through if a wall between two rooms — or between the living room and a covered patio — is where the fire belongs, and you want both sides to get the full Artisan presentation: the remote, the LED lighting and the reflective glass are all standard, as on the single-sided 48. It is the shallowest Artisan to frame on an interior wall (11-5/8" versus 13-1/8"), and on an exterior wall Monessen offers the stainless outdoor kit for the outdoor face.
It is not right for a bedroom or a bathroom on either side of the wall — 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 — 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 you only need the fire on one side, the single-sided Artisan 48 shares the firebox, the rating and the standard equipment.
Specifications
Frame a rough opening 52-5/8" wide by 39-3/4" high. On an interior wall the framing is 11-5/8" deep — 12-7/8" if you finish with Install Option 2, the recessed method the trim kit and faces use; on an exterior wall frame 52-5/8" inside, 55-7/8" outside and 13-1/2" deep, and build the chase like any outside wall so it never breaks the building envelope. Keep 6" from the inside of the appliance to a combustible side wall and 36" from the opening to the ceiling; 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! Each face gets its own 7-1/4" non-combustible board above the opening, and the book's finishing rule applies to both sides. 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 see-through compares to the single-sided Artisan sizes
The see-through is the single-sided Artisan 48 opened to a second room: the same 48" x 17" opening, the same 39,000 BTU/hr rating, the same remote, LED lighting and reflective glass in the carton, but a screen, deflection glass and non-combustible board for each face, and a second set of finish kits if you dress both sides. It starts at from $4,569 against from $4,219 for the single-sided 48. The 42 is the value entry, in a 24,500 or 34,000 BTU/hr tier that sells the remote, lighting and glass as kits, from from $2,829; the 60 frames 64-5/8" wide at 40,000 BTU/hr, from $5,399, and the 72 frames 76-5/8" wide at the same 40,000 BTU/hr — all single-sided.
Features
- One fire, two rooms — a 48" x 17" opening on each face, with its own screen, deflection glass and non-combustible board per side, on an interior wall or an exterior wall
- 39,000 BTU/hr on natural gas (38,000 on propane), 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 and reflective Black Magic Glass side panels are part of the see-through, seen from both rooms
- IntelliFire Touch 2.0 ignition with a factory-installed battery backup that keeps the fire running through a power outage
- Frames only 11-5/8" deep on an interior wall; the stainless outdoor kit is offered for an exterior wall with an indoor/outdoor view
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 see-through is an unvented room heater: it burns room air, needs no flue or outside vent, and frames into an interior wall between two rooms or into an exterior wall. 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, and neither side may be a bedroom or bathroom — plus a 1/2" gas line and an unswitched 120 V circuit to its junction box.
Can it go in an exterior wall, and what is the outdoor kit?
Yes. The manual frames the see-through two ways: on an interior wall, 52-5/8" wide by 39-3/4" high and 11-5/8" deep; on an exterior wall, 52-5/8" inside, 55-7/8" outside and 13-1/2" deep, with the chase built and sealed like any outside wall. For the outdoor face Monessen offers the AVFLST48SSODK stainless steel outdoor kit — with it fitted the appliance measures 55-1/2" wide and 14-7/8" deep (the manual's Figure 3.3). It is sold separately, below the cart, for either fuel.
Where can it go, and how close can a mantel, shelf or TV sit?
Any room except a bedroom or bathroom — on both sides of the wall — 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; 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, which names the see-through. 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; 48" x 17" opening on each face — see-through firebox; 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 (two strips, power supply, ACM and RF module); Reflective Black Magic Glass interior panels — both sides; Two fire screens (frame and screen assembly, one per face) — the vent-free safety barrier; Four bags of Diamond crushed glass media — the burning display that ships standard — and two air-deflection glasses; Two 7-1/4" non-combustible boards (one per face) 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); Finishing - non-combustible facing or drywall to the perimeter on each finished face, and an insulated, sealed chase when it sits in an exterior wall.
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Optional: The stainless steel outdoor kit for an exterior-wall installation, the 48" finish kits (satin black trim kit or a contemporary satin black or veined copper face, one per finished side), 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.
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 — the full 9 lb a 48" firebox takes; 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 are approved for the see-through and 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.
