Superior VRT4036 36" Traditional Vent Free Gas Fireplace — Millivolt or Electronic Ignition
No vent, no flue, no chimney. The Superior VRT4036 is a 36" vent-free radiant gas fireplace that frames flush into a 41-1/2" by 40-1/2" rough opening only 20-3/4" deep and runs up to 33,000 BTU/hr at 99.9% AFUE. A thermostatic variable-speed blower is factory-installed on every model, the firebox hood and wire-mesh screen come fitted, and an ODS safety shutoff pilot stops the burner if the room runs short of fresh air. Pick your fuel and your ignition system, then add the 24" Boulder Mountain concrete log set the fireplace is listed to burn. from $2,489.
Choose the VRT4036 if you want a real gas fire in a room with no route to the outside — it vents nothing, so there is no chase, no pipe and no roof penetration to plan, and it sets into ordinary framing at 0" clearance to the studs above, behind and below. It is also the one to pick if you want heat you can still use when the power is out: without the blower it needs no electricity at all.
It is not right for a bedroom or a bathroom: the manual bans vent-free heaters from both outright, and Massachusetts bars them from sleeping rooms and bathrooms by statute. It is not a primary heat source either — Superior rates it for supplemental heating beside your central system, and only calls it a primary source during a power outage. And because it burns the room's own air, a tightly sealed room that cannot satisfy the manual's combustion-air worksheet is the wrong home for it; a sealed direct-vent fireplace such as Superior's DRT3000 series belongs in those rooms instead.
Specifications
Frame a rough opening 41-1/2" wide inside-to-inside, 40-1/2" high and 20-3/4" minimum deep, then fasten the fireplace to the studs through its nailing flange; a corner installation is permitted at 0" clearance using the manual's corner figure. Combustibles may butt the top, back and floor at 0" but must never overlap the firebox front facing; side walls stay 16" away, the ceiling 42" above the top of the opening, and flammable objects 36" off the front. A mantel shelf is measured from the top of the hood opening: 12" clears a 1-1/2" projection, 16" clears 6-3/4", 20" clears 12". Over carpet or vinyl tile the fireplace sits on a metal or wood panel covering its full footprint. Gas arrives at a 1/2" NPT inlet through 1/2" or larger pipe with an equipment shutoff valve — 5" to 10.5" W.C. on natural gas, 11" W.C. minimum on propane/LP behind an installer-supplied external regulator — and operation above 4,500 feet of elevation could cause pilot outage.
How the VRT4036 compares to the VRT4032
The two VRT4000Z sizes are the same fireplace in two widths: same vent-free construction, same ODS pilot, same included blower, same hood and wire-mesh screen, and the same choice of fuel and ignition. They differ in output and in the log set they take. This 36" runs 22,000/33,000 BTU/hr on electronic ignition and takes the 24" Boulder Mountain set at from $2,489; the 32" VRT4032 runs 20,000/25,000 BTU/hr and takes the 18" Boulder Mountain set at from $2,209. The rough opening steps with the size — 41-1/2" x 40-1/2" here against 34-7/8" x 36-3/4".
Features
- Up to 33,000 BTU/hr at 99.9% AFUE with no vent, no flue and no chimney — the room it stands in supplies the combustion air
- Blower included on every model — thermostatically controlled, variable speed, and it keeps running until the firebox cools
- ODS safety shutoff pilot cuts the fireplace off if the room runs short of fresh air
- Two ignition systems on one page — a piezo standing-pilot millivolt valve that is remote-ready, or electronic ignition with an illuminated touch-screen thermostat remote
- Supplied firebox hood and wire-mesh screen, a radiant clean-face firebox, standard black painted interior and textured powder-coat exterior
- Frames flush into a 41-1/2" x 40-1/2" rough opening only 20-3/4" deep, at 0" clearance to combustibles top, back and floor
Answers to common questions
Does it need a vent, a flue or a chimney?
No — the VRT4036 is a vent-free fireplace and nothing about it vents outdoors, which is why there is no chase or pipe to plan. It burns clean and loses no heat up a chimney, but it uses air from the room it stands in, so the room has to satisfy the manual's confined/unconfined-space worksheet; where it does not, you add ventilation grills or a duct to an adjoining room or to the outdoors. An ODS safety shutoff pilot backs that up by cutting the fireplace off if fresh air runs short.
Will it still work if the power goes out?
Yes — used without the blower this fireplace needs no electricity at all, which is exactly why Superior calls it suitable for emergency backup heat and says you may use it as your primary heat source during an outage. That holds for both ignition systems: the millivolt models light from a piezo igniter, and the electronic models run their control module from a battery power-supply box. The one thing that stops is the blower, which needs its 120-volt receptacle.
What is the difference between the Millivolt and the Electronic models?
It comes down to how you light and control the fire. The Millivolt (Standing Pilot) models use a piezo igniter that needs no matches or batteries and keep a standing pilot; they are remote-ready, and Superior sells five separate controls for them — a wall switch, a wall thermostat and three hand-held remotes. The Electronic models light the pilot automatically from an electronic igniter and arrive with an illuminated touch-screen thermostat remote that adds manual, thermostat and 7-day program modes, flame-height control and a child lock. Everything else — the firebox, the blower, the hood, the screen and the clearances — is identical.
What’s included, what’s required, and what’s optional?
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Included in the box: 33,000 BTU/hr maximum input, variable; Ignition system — millivolt piezo standing pilot or electronic ignition, one on every model; ODS safety shutoff pilot; Factory-installed thermostatic variable-speed blower; Firebox hood (must be used at all times); Wire-mesh fireplace screen; Standard black painted interior, textured powder-coat exterior; Electrical receptacle inside the fireplace for the blower; Listed by PFS to ANSI Z21.11.2, Report No. F12-047; 20-year limited warranty on body, firebox and barrier.
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Required to complete the installation, purchased separately: Log Set - required, ordered separately; the 36" models take the 24" Boulder Mountain concrete set (LBG24BM), and the ember materials come in that carton; Gas Line - an approved supply line run by a qualified installer to a 1/2" NPT inlet, with an equipment shutoff valve and test tap; propane/LP adds an installer-supplied external regulator and a tank of at least 100 lb capacity; Combustion Air - the room must satisfy the manual's confined/unconfined-space worksheet, with ventilation grills or ducts added where it does not.
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Optional: The "Vintage Brick" ceramic liner kit and the perimeter trim kit — the fireplace runs fully without either; Wall switches, wall thermostat and hand-held remotes for the remote-ready millivolt models, purchased separately.
How close can a mantel or shelf sit above it?
Measure from the top of the fireplace hood opening to the bottom of the shelf: 12" clears a shelf projecting up to 1-1/2", 16" clears up to 6-3/4", and 20" clears up to 12", and no part of the shelf may extend past that profile. Beside the fireplace, a combustible face projecting 3-1/2" from the wall has to stand 4" clear, side walls stay 16" away, and the ceiling sits at least 42" above the top of the opening. The supplied firebox hood must be in place — those clearances assume it. Send us your mantel depth and we will read the chart with you.
Can it go in a manufactured or mobile home?
Yes — Superior approves this appliance for an aftermarket, permanently located manufactured (mobile) home where local codes do not prohibit it, and the same clearances and framing apply. What it may never go into is a bedroom, a bathroom or a recreational vehicle, and Massachusetts adds its own rules: installation by a licensed plumber or gas fitter under 527 CMR 30, a working smoke detector in the area, a T-handle shut-off, and a flexible connector no longer than 36".
How does the warranty work if something goes wrong?
Superior warrants the fireplace, 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; the burner, gas components and gaskets carry one year, the logs one year against thermal breakage, and the blower and remote controls one year. Keep your invoice and the model number; we hold the rest on file.
