Superior DRL4048 48" Linear Direct Vent Gas Fireplace
Forty-eight inches of linear flame over Reflective Black crushed glass, with a clean face and a black painted interior standard. The Superior DRL4048 is a sealed direct-vent linear fireplace: 35,000 BTU/hr high / 23,500 low on natural gas at 62.5% P4 efficiency, venting vertically through the roof or horizontally through an outside wall on 4.5"/7.5" Secure Vent components. from $5,519, with a 20-year limited warranty on the body, firebox and barrier.
Choose the DRL4048 if you want the 48" linear format and would rather pick your own extras than pay for a bundle — the firebox ships complete and burns as-is, and the blower, remote and HeatFlo kit stay optional add-ons instead of built-in cost. It is also the one size in the series that can convert to an Indoor/Outdoor See-Thru fireplace.
It is not right as a home's primary heat source — Superior's manual is explicit that this is a supplemental heater to run alongside your heating system — and it is not right for a room with no route to the roof or an outside wall, because the sealed vent must terminate outside. If heat load is the goal, talk to us about a furnace-rated unit; for a room with no venting path, Superior's vent-free VRL6048 puts the same 48" linear format on a ventless platform, and an electric linear fireplace needs only the outlet.
Specifications
Frame an opening 55-5/8" wide by 39-1/8" high, with 84" minimum from the appliance base to the ceiling, and do not insulate the space between the fireplace and the area above it. Keep the back 3/4" from the wrapper and the sides 1/2" (0" to the spacers), with 0" floor clearance; a 60" enclosure height is allowed only with a vertical vent penetration and no elbows inside the enclosure. A combustible mantel follows the manual's depth chart (4" to 12" of depth), and combustible side walls may close to 8-1/4" if they project no more than 12". Listed by PFS TECO to ANSI Z21.88, report F22-797, and rated for standard orifices to 4,500 ft.
How the DRL4048 compares to the other DRL4000 sizes — and the DRL6048
The four DRL4000 sizes share the Custom Series formula — the complete firebox with the blower, remote and trim left as options; they differ in width and output. This 48" runs 35,000 BTU/hr high on natural gas at from $5,519, against the 60" at from $7,939, the 72" at from $9,989 and the 84" at from $13,569. The same-width Superior DRL6048 (from $7,179) shares this firebox's ratings but ships the Proflame II remote, the floor lighting and the factory blower that the DRL4048 leaves as add-ons — the DRL4048 is the build-it-your-way price of the two.
Features
- Two 5 lb bags of Reflective Black crushed glass ship in the carton — the standard firebox floor
- 35,000 BTU/hr high / 23,500 low on natural gas at 62.5% P4 efficiency
- Sealed direct vent on 4.5"/7.5" Secure Vent rigid, Secure Flex or Z-FLEX GA components — vertical through the roof or horizontal through an outside wall
- SIT Proflame I electronic ignition with an IPI/CPI cold-climate switch; four AA batteries keep it lighting through a power outage
- Black painted firebox interior, standard
- The only DRL4000 size with an Indoor/Outdoor See-Thru conversion option
Answers to common questions
What’s included, what’s required, and what’s optional?
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Included in the box: 35,000 BTU/hr high / 23,500 low (natural gas); 31,000 / 25,500 (propane, conversion kit); Electronic intermittent pilot ignition (SIT Proflame I, IPI/CPI switchable); Battery backup — four AA batteries included; Reflective Black crushed glass media (two 5 lb bags), installed in the media tray; Painted Black interior liner; PFS TECO listed to ANSI Z21.88 (report F22-797); 20-year limited warranty.
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Required to complete the installation, purchased separately: Control - an ON/OFF wall switch, thermostat, or remote control (Superior's OTRK-LIN remote kit); the manual requires one of the three and none ships in the carton; Venting - Secure Vent, Secure Flex or Z-FLEX Model GA 4.5"/7.5" pipe and a termination sized for your run; Gas Line and Electrical - a gas supply line and an unswitched 120 VAC, 60 Hz circuit, run by a qualified installer.
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Optional: A colored or textured floor media upgrade — two bags of Platinum or Reflective Blue crushed glass, the 25-piece River Rock kit, the Driftwood Pieces and Rock kit, or the 48" Driftwood Log Set — over the standard Reflective Black crushed glass; A Black Reflective Glass liner upgrade over the standard black painted interior; The FBK-LIN48 variable-speed blower kit, the Indoor and Indoor/Outdoor See-Thru conversion kits, a black Linear Trim Kit, and the HeatFlo heat-management kit — the fireplace operates fully without them.
Will it work if the power goes out?
Yes — every DRL4048 has battery backup built in. Four AA batteries in the Proflame I battery holder take over during a line-power interruption: the unit sparks at the pilot, lights, and operates normally. A blower, if you added one, stays off until line power returns. Superior recommends installing fresh batteries before each burn season so the switchover is automatic.
How do I vent it, and is the vent in the box?
The vent is sold separately, and the run is 4.5" inner / 7.5" outer pipe on the manual's approved systems only — Secure Vent rigid, Secure Flex, or Z-FLEX Model GA — with no other manufacturer's components permitted. The flue collar is on top: run it vertically through the roof or elbow it horizontally through an outside wall. Send us your wall build-up and we will size the run with you.
Can I mount a TV above it?
Yes, with the manual's clearances — keep the TV at least 12" above the fireplace opening on a flush wall, or 18" above it in a recessed wall pocket, and note the recessed pocket itself is only available with the HeatFlo kit (maximum pocket depth 3-1/2"). The HeatFlo kit (HTFLO-DV55) is the heat-management option here: it redirects the convective heat from above the glass to a register higher on the wall. Superior gives these TV clearances as guidance only, so check your TV maker's own temperature limits too.
Can it go in a bedroom or a manufactured home?
Yes to both — the DRL4048 is listed for installation in bedrooms, aftermarket mobile homes and manufactured homes (USA, where not prohibited by local codes; grounded to the chassis in a manufactured home). Wherever it goes, keep furniture and other combustibles at least 36" from the front of the viewing area, and give it 84" from the appliance base to the ceiling.
Do I have to buy the media or the liner upgrades?
No — the firebox is complete as it ships, with the Reflective Black crushed glass in the media tray and the black painted interior finished at the factory. The upgrades only change the look. On the media bed that means two bags of Platinum or Reflective Blue crushed glass, the 25-piece River Rock kit, the Driftwood Pieces and Rock kit, or the 48" Driftwood Log Set; on the interior it means the five-panel Black Reflective Glass liner kit over the paint.
How does the warranty work if something goes wrong?
Superior warrants the DRL4048 — 20 years limited on the body, firebox and barrier, one year on the burner and gas components — and The Torch Guys handles it for you: we register the appliance 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 model number; we hold the rest on file.
