Valcourt Lafayette II EPA 2020 Wood Burning Fireplace
Zero clearance at the back, the sides and the floor, and 80,000 BTU/hr of heat from dry cordwood. The Valcourt Lafayette II is an EPA 2020 certified non-catalytic wood fireplace rated for 750 to 2,200 square feet at 70% optimum efficiency, with a 176 CFM blower already installed, a 37-3/4" x 41-5/8" x 24-7/8" framing opening, a 6" chimney outlet, from $4,409 for the fireplace alone — the door overlay, arched faceplate and louver you choose above are required to complete it and are priced on top — and a limited lifetime warranty on the firebox.
Choose the Lafayette II if you want a real wood fire that also heats — 16" logs up to 20", burn times up to 8 hours, and an air-wash ceramic-glass door that stays closed while it runs. It is built to move heat: the blower is in the box, the top carries two 8" openings for a gravity kit, and either side takes the forced air kit that ducts warm air up to 50 ft into another room. Pick the arched door if you want the traditional look; the square-door Lafayette IIS is the same fireplace behind a square faceplate.
It is not right for a mobile or manufactured home, and it is not a whole-house furnace — it is a zone heater rated for 750 to 2,200 square feet, and a conventional backup heating system is still recommended. It cannot connect directly to the clay tile of a masonry chimney, needs at least 15 ft of listed 6" chimney above its base, 80" of clear height, and 48" to the wall in front. In the United States it burns with the door closed: open-door burning behind a fire screen is prohibited under the particulate rules, so if you want an open fire this is not the fireplace.
Specifications
Frame the enclosure 37-3/4" wide, 41-5/8" high to the first header and 24-7/8" deep, in 2" x 3" or larger studs, with 80" of total height and nothing combustible directly above the fireplace; widen it to 60-3/4" for a fresh air intake or 72-3/4" for the forced air kit, and see section 8.5.4 on page 36 of the installation manual for a corner installation. Clearances are 0" at the back, sides and floor, 2" around the chimney, 13" from the door opening to a combustible side wall, 8" to a side mantel no deeper than 3", and 48" to a wall in front. A combustible shelf 6" deep sits 58" above the base (8" at 60", 10" at 62", 12" at 64"), or 8" lower with the optional heat shield; a non-combustible shelf sits at 48". Floor protection is 16" deep and 41-1/2" wide, 8" past each side of the door opening, R 1.00 unless the fireplace is raised more than 4". The chimney is a 6" listed system from the approved list, at least 15 ft from the base to the cap (17 ft with four elbows), with 2" to combustibles throughout. The blower wires to household power by a qualified electrician.
How the Lafayette II compares to the Lafayette IIS
The Lafayette IIS is the same firebox — the same 80,000 BTU/hr rating, 750 to 2,200 sq ft, 2.5 cu ft firebox, 176 CFM blower, framing and clearances — behind a square door and square faceplate instead of this arched one, with its own square-frame overlays and louvers. This arched Lafayette II starts at from $4,409; the square Lafayette IIS starts at from $4,409. Pick by the look you want; nothing about the heating changes.
Features
- EPA 2020 certified non-catalytic wood fireplace — 80,000 BTU/hr maximum on dry cordwood, 70% optimum efficiency and 1.2 g/h particulates, rated for 750 to 2,200 sq ft
- Zero clearance at the back, sides and floor — frames into a 37-3/4" x 41-5/8" x 24-7/8" opening with the top and back standoffs supplied
- 176 CFM blower already installed, with automatic or manual operation from a rheostat behind the louver
- Arched ceramic-glass door dressed with a black or brushed nickel overlay, an arched faceplate and your choice of five louver styles — Classic, Arabesque, Urban, Mission or Crown
- Heat where you want it — 8" top openings for a traditional or modern gravity kit and a 6" side opening for a forced air kit that ducts heat up to 50 ft to another room
- 6" listed chimney from a wide approved list — Ventis, Dura Tech, Dura Plus, Selkirk, Security, Metal-Fab and American Metal — with a 15 ft minimum system height
Answers to common questions
What chimney does the Lafayette II need, and is any of it included?
It needs a 6" listed factory-built chimney (CAN/ULC S629 / UL 103 HT) from the approved list, and none of it ships with the fireplace. The approved systems are Olympia/SBI Ventis, Nexvent, Champion and Rockford, Selkirk CF Sentinel, Super Pro 2100 and Super Vent 2100, Security S-2100+, DuraVent Dura Tech, Dura Tech Canada, Dura Tech Premium, Dura Plus HTC and Dura Plus AC, Metal-Fab Temp Guard and American Metal HS/HSS — we stock DuraVent. Every system starts with a 6" anchor plate on the fireplace, runs at least 15 ft from the base to the cap (17 ft if you use four elbows), keeps 2" from combustibles, extends 3 ft above the roof and 2 ft above anything within 10 ft, and may vent nothing else. Some brands have mandatory extras — a ventilated roof flashing for Ventis and Dura Tech, an attic radiation shield for Security — and the chimney cannot connect straight into the clay tile of a masonry chimney.
How close can a mantel, shelf or wall sit, and what goes on the floor?
The enclosure itself is zero clearance — 0" at the back, sides and floor — with 2" around the chimney. Keep a combustible side wall 13" from the door opening, a side mantel (no deeper than 3") at least 8" from it, and 48" to a wall in front. Above the fireplace a combustible shelf 6" deep can sit 58" above the base, 8" at 60", 10" at 62" and 12" at 64"; the optional heat shield lowers each by 8", and a non-combustible shelf goes at 48". The ceiling must be at least 80" above the base, with nothing combustible directly over the fireplace. In front, lay continuous non-combustible floor protection 16" deep and 41-1/2" wide, reaching 8" past each side of the door opening, rated R 1.00 unless the fireplace sits on a raised base taller than 4"; a folded metal strip covers the joint and carpet never goes underneath.
What’s included, what’s required, and what’s optional?
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Included in the box: 176 CFM double-cage blower with AUTO/MAN switch and rheostat, installed under the firebox; Single arched door with 5/32" ceramic glass in a steel frame, and a painted cast-iron andiron; Moulded refractory panels (floor, back and sides), C-Cast baffle and four stainless secondary air tubes; Top and back standoffs with screws; 4" fresh-air adapter, air-intake closing plate and screws for an optional outside-air connection; EPA 2020 certification, UL 127 / ULC S610 safety listing, and the Valcourt limited lifetime warranty.
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Required to complete the installation, purchased separately: Door Overlay - the black or brushed nickel overlay that finishes the door frame (choose above); the fireplace ships without one; Faceplate - the Black Arched Faceplate that closes the front of the enclosure; a faceplate must be installed, and it does not ship with the fireplace (choose above); Faceplate Louver - the decorative louver that mounts to the faceplate, in Classic, Arabesque, Urban, Mission or Crown style (choose above); Venting - an 6" listed factory-built chimney from the approved list (see pg 49 in the installation manual) or a lined masonry chimney; Floor Protection - a continuous non-combustible surface 16" deep and 41-1/2" wide in front of the fireplace, R 1.00 unless the fireplace sits on a raised base over 4", with a folded metal strip at the joint; Electrical - household power run to the blower electrical inlet by a qualified electrician.
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Optional: Traditional or Modern gravity hot-air kit, the forced air kit with its 6" insulated pipe, the 4" fresh air intake kit, register and insulated pipe, the heat shield for a lower combustible shelf, the firescreen door and carrying handles — the fireplace burns and heats without any of them.
How do the gravity kits and the forced air kit move heat to other rooms?
Both work with any overlay, faceplate or louver you choose. The gravity kits use the two 8" openings on top of the fireplace and let hot air rise on its own into 8" rigid galvanized duct (not included) to grilled outlets at least 68" above the base — the Traditional kit gives you two grilles with elbows and brackets, the Modern kit a single adjustable distribution box with a decorative plate; runs are limited to 10' with two elbows per duct, never downhill, never flex duct, never tied to central heating, and outlets stay 12" from combustibles. The forced air kit connects to the 6" opening on either side (the left performs better) and pushes heat through insulated 6" HVAC flex pipe to a room up to 50 ft away; it was emissions-tested and does not change the EPA rating. Running both at once lets the forced air kit draw some air away from the gravity ducts.
Does it need an outside air supply?
Not by default — room air is the most reliable combustion supply for any configuration on this page, and the fresh air intake is optional. It matters in a tight house or one with a powerful kitchen exhaust that can pull the house negative. The fireplace already carries the 4" adapter and closing plate; you add the 4" fresh air intake kit or register, and 10' to 30' of insulated 4" HVAC duct run from outside the house (never an attic, basement or garage), on the right side or underneath. The register goes no more than 10' above or 3' below the base of the fireplace, above the snow line and away from exhausts.
Can I burn it with the door open, like an open fireplace?
Not in the United States — the door stays fully closed while it burns, whichever overlay, faceplate or louver you choose. The fireplace was tested for open-door use with the optional firescreen door, but in the US, and in any Canadian province with a particulate emissions limit, open-door burning behind a rigid fire screen is prohibited. Where it is allowed, the screen must be properly secured and the fireplace is never left unattended with the door open.
Does buying online affect my Valcourt warranty?
No. The warranty is Valcourt's and applies to every configuration on this page; it runs from your dated purchase invoice, so keep it and register the fireplace online at valcourtinc.com with the model name and serial number from the nameplate on the back. The Torch Guys will help you with any claim. Coverage is a limited lifetime on the combustion chamber welds, castings, convector air-mate and ceramic glass (4 years labour, one replacement), 5 years on the stainless components, baffle and air tubes, 3 years on carbon-steel firebox parts, glass retainers and handle, 2 years on the blower and controls, and 1 year on paint, gaskets, insulation and refractory bricks. It requires installation by an authorized qualified technician and covers the original purchaser only.
