Superior VRE4242 42" Outdoor Vent-Free Firebox — Indoor and Outdoor Approved
A 42" vent-free firebox with a 28"-tall, full-width refractory opening — the enclosure half of a custom fireplace. The Superior VRE4242 is listed for both outdoor and indoor installation: no vent, no chimney, a 304-stainless face, and you choose the fire that goes in it — the Mega-Flame outdoor burner and log sets outside, or any ANSI Z21.11.2-listed vent-free set up to 40,000 BTU/hr inside, sold separately. The interior comes as White Stacked or White Herringbone refractory, molded from actual hand-cut firebrick. from $2,649.
Choose the VRE4242 if you want to build the fireplace your way at the wider 42" size — the firebox sets the opening and the liner, and the burner, logs and controls are your call. It frames into a 48-3/4" x 46-1/2" rough opening, parallel or corner, directly on a combustible floor, outdoors or in.
It is not right if you want a fireplace that burns straight out of the crate — this is an enclosure, and it ships with no burner and no logs in any configuration. For a complete outdoor fireplace with the logs, burner, ignition and remote already in the box, Superior's VRE3242 outdoor vent-free fireplace is the one to look at.
Specifications
Frame a rough opening 48-3/4" wide by 46-1/2" high — 47-1/4" if you add the drain pan — and 20-1/2" deep to the back wall of the chase including finishing materials, in 2 x 4 lumber or heavier, parallel or in a corner. Airspace, side-wall and ceiling clearances to combustibles are set by the manual — see Figure 4 on page 7 and Figure 5 on page 8 of the installation manual — and flammable objects stay 36" from the front. The interior measures 41" across the front, 17-3/8" deep and 28" high — the figures Superior publishes for sizing a compatible log set. Outdoors, the builder provides drainage under the firebox — a water collector or the optional drain pan. Tested by PFS to ANSI Z21.97 and ANSI Z21.91, report F14-168.
How the VRE4242 compares to the VRE4236
The two VRE4200 sizes share the same 28"-tall opening, liner choices, approvals and 17-3/8" interior depth; they differ only in width. This 42" gives a 41"-wide interior and frames 48-3/4" wide at from $2,649, against the 36" with its 35"-wide interior framing 42-3/4" wide, from $2,179. Framing height and depth are identical, so the choice is the wall — and the log set — you have in mind.
Features
- 42" vent-free firebox with a 28"-tall, full-width refractory opening
- Listed for outdoor AND indoor installation — one firebox, either living space
- 304 stainless steel on the face and every weather-exposed surface, with stainless fire screens
- You pick the fire: Mega-Flame outdoor burner and log sets outside, or any ANSI Z21.11.2-listed vent-free set up to 40,000 BTU/hr inside — sold separately
- Refractory liners molded from actual hand-cut firebrick — White Stacked or White Herringbone
- Frames into a 48-3/4" x 46-1/2" rough opening directly on a combustible floor, parallel or corner
Answers to common questions
What’s included, what’s required, and what’s optional?
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Included in the box: 41" W x 28" H firebox opening; Refractory liner panels and floor — White Stacked or White Herringbone; Stainless steel fire screens, fitted to the opening; Listed for indoor and outdoor installation; 20-year limited warranty on body, firebox, and barrier.
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Required to complete the installation, purchased separately: Vent Free Burner/Log Set - outdoors the IHP Mega-Flame OD burner kits with the Giant Timbers or Mossy Oak logs; indoors any ANSI Z21.11.2-listed set up to 40,000 BTU/hr input — the firebox burns nothing on its own; Gas Line - run to the firebox by a qualified installer, from either side or the back, connected per the log set's manual; Drainage (outdoor installs) - a field-built water collector under the firebox, or the optional drain pan.
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Optional: The brushed stainless hood (it reduces mantel clearances), the drain pan, the outside air kit for indoor installs and refractory stain kits — the firebox operates fully without them.
Can the same firebox really go indoors or outdoors?
Yes — both liner versions carry both listings: ANSI Z21.97 outdoors and ANSI Z21.91 indoors, PFS report F14-168. The rules differ by location. Outdoors, plan drainage under the firebox. Indoors, the room must supply combustion air per the manual's worksheet, a bedroom or bathroom is allowed only with a log set rated 10,000 BTU/hr or less, and an aftermarket manufactured (mobile) home is approved where local codes allow. Massachusetts bars unvented appliances from bedrooms and bathrooms outright.
Does it need a chimney, a vent, or electricity?
No vent and no chimney, whichever liner you choose — the firebox is vent-free in both its outdoor and indoor listings. Electricity depends on the burner you pick, not the firebox: the Mega-Flame outdoor burners come in millivolt and electronic versions. Indoors the room supplies the combustion air, and the optional outside air kit ducts air in from outside where a room runs tight.
What about rain and weather?
The face and every weather-exposed surface are 304 stainless steel, and the refractory is concrete — slight heat cracks are normal and do not affect performance. Standing water is the thing to plan for: outdoors the manual requires the builder to provide drainage under the firebox, either a field-built water collector or the optional drain pan, and the enclosure around it is treated as an exterior wall.
How close can a mantel, side wall or finish material sit?
Flammable objects stay 36" from the front, and the side-wall, ceiling and combustible-mantel clearances are all set by the manual — see Figure 4 on page 7 and Figure 5 on page 8 of the installation manual. The optional brushed stainless hood is offered specifically to reduce the mantel clearances. Combustible wall materials may butt up to the sides and top but never overlap the front facing; noncombustible brick or tile may overlap it. You can also send us your mantel depth. We're here to help!
How does the warranty work if something goes wrong?
Superior warrants the firebox, 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. The body, firebox and barrier carry a 20-year limited warranty. Keep your invoice and the model number; we hold the rest on file.
