Valcourt Waterloo Arched Faceplate EPA 2020 Wood Burning Fireplace
Up to 11 hours on one load, behind arched cast-iron doors. The Valcourt Waterloo Arched Faceplate (FP15A) is the largest of Valcourt's EPA 2020-certified high-efficiency wood fireplaces: a 4.28 ft³ usable firebox rated up to 95,000 BTU/hr on dry cordwood at 70% optimum efficiency and 1.6 g/h, for 1,000 to 2,800 square feet. It frames 50-3/4" wide by 26-7/8" deep with zero clearance to the enclosure, vents through an 8-inch Class A chimney, takes 25-inch logs, and ships with its 176 CFM variable-speed blower and patented automatic air control. Choose the louver style for the black arched faceplate above, with the classic moulded brick panels, all three priced on top; from $5,724 for the fireplace alone.
Choose the Waterloo Arched Faceplate if you want the biggest firebox in Valcourt's high-efficiency line with a softer, traditional look: the arched black faceplate carries an arched pair of 15-13/16" x 19" glass panes and takes a Classic, Arabesque, Urban or Mission louver to match the room. The fire management is the same as the square-doored Waterloo — load 16-inch pieces north-south, fire the load hot, close the intake and let the automatic air control carry an overnight burn — and the 6-inch forced-air knockouts on either side take Valcourt's thermostat-controlled kit when you want heat in another room up to 50 feet away. The faceplate, louver and brick panels are required, not decorative, and each is priced on top of the fireplace.
It is not right for a small room or a home that needs a modest fire: this is a 4.28 ft³ firebox rated for 1,000 to 2,800 square feet, and its chase is 50-3/4" wide. It is not for a mobile home in Canada or a manufactured home in the USA, not for an alcove and not for open-door fires — the doors stay closed and there is no firescreen option. It needs 8-inch listed chimney at least 15 feet tall, an 84-inch ceiling above its base with nothing combustible over the fireplace (a shelf above it must be non-combustible and 52 inches up), and a 32-inch deep non-combustible floor in front when it sits on the floor — there is no short-flue option, it cannot sit inside a masonry fireplace, and an existing masonry chimney serves it only relined with an 8-inch stainless liner. If you want a combustible wood mantel across the top, the Waterloo does not allow one.
Specifications
Frame the chase 50-3/4" wide and 26-7/8" deep, add the thickness of your facing, and leave the space above the fireplace empty to 84" from its base; with the fresh-air intake add 6" on the right and with the forced-air kit add 10" on the side it uses. The back, sides and floor of the enclosure are zero clearance; the chimney keeps 2". A combustible side mantle may project up to 6" and sits at least 8" from the door opening; a combustible side wall stays 24" from the opening; the wall facing the fireplace stays 36" away in the USA (48" in Canada). Nothing combustible goes above the fireplace, and a shelf there is non-combustible and at least 52" above the base. Floor protection is 49" wide and 32" deep at R 2.00 when the fireplace sits on the floor or a base under 8"; on a base over 8" it is 16" deep, on a base between 8" and 12" it is 20" deep at R 1.00, and over 12" it is 16" deep with no R-value. The chimney is an 8" CAN/ULC S629 / UL 103 HT system from the approved list on an 8" anchor plate — at least 15 feet from the base to the top and at least one support; Valcourt recommends 18" of straight pipe before the first offset but also approves starting with a 30° or 45° elbow. The blower and the automatic air control are wired to a 110-120 V circuit by an electrician; in a power failure the air supply closes by hand.
FP15A vs. the square-doored Waterloo FP15
The Waterloo FP15 is the same fireplace under a different face: the same 4.28 ft³ firebox, 95,000 BTU/hr rating, 11-hour burn, 8-inch chimney, blower and framing. The FP15 takes the black Crown style faceplate with rectangular 15-3/4" x 16-5/16" glass panes and needs only the faceplate and brick panels — from $5,834 for the fireplace alone before those two — while the Arched Faceplate adds arched 15-13/16" x 19" panes and a choice of four louvers, from $5,724 here before its three.
Features
- EPA 2020-certified non-catalytic firebox: 1.6 g/h emissions, 70% optimum efficiency, up to 95,000 BTU/hr on dry cordwood and up to 11 hours per load
- Arched cast-iron double doors with 15-13/16" x 19" arched ceramic-glass panes, and a choice of four louver styles on the black arched faceplate
- 176 CFM variable-speed blower is in the box, already wired behind the faceplate with AUTO and manual modes
- 4.28 ft³ usable firebox takes 25-inch logs (16-inch recommended, loaded north-south) and is rated for 1,000 to 2,800 ft²
- Zero clearance to the enclosure at the back, sides and floor; frames 50-3/4" wide x 26-7/8" deep under an 84-inch open chase
- Ready for Valcourt's 5-inch fresh-air intake (adapter and block-off plate in the box), the forced-air kit on either side and the warm-air circulation grille
Answers to common questions
What chimney does the Waterloo Arched Faceplate need, and is any of it included?
None of the chimney is in the box. The fireplace vents through an 8-inch factory-built chimney listed to CAN/ULC S629 / UL 103 HT (2100 °F) from Valcourt's listed-chimney table (Table 3, page 61 of the installation manual) — DuraVent DuraTech, DuraTech Premium, DuraTech Canada and DuraPlus, Selkirk CF Sentinel, Super Pro 2100 and Super Vent 2100, Security S-2100+, Olympia Ventis, Nexvent, Champion and Rockford, Metal-Fab Temp Guard, American Metal HS and HSS — starting with an 8-inch anchor plate on the fireplace, sold separately. Plan on at least 15 feet from the base of the fireplace to the top (17 feet with four elbows), at least one support, 2 inches of clearance around the pipe, 3 feet above the roof and a rain cap — Valcourt recommends 18 inches of straight pipe before the first offset but also approves starting with a 30° or 45° elbow; some brands also require their ventilated roof flashing or an insulated attic shield. A masonry chimney works only relined with an 8-inch stainless liner through the chimney maker's 30° or 45° connector. The chimney maker's manual governs the run itself.
How close can a mantel, a shelf or a side wall be?
Nothing combustible can sit above the fireplace: the space over it stays empty for 84 inches from the base, and a shelf there must be non-combustible and at least 52 inches above the base. At the sides, a combustible side mantle or pilaster may project up to 6 inches and must sit at least 8 inches from the door opening, a combustible side wall stays 24 inches from the opening, and the wall facing the fireplace stays 36 inches away in the USA (48 in Canada). The facing directly in front of the fireplace is non-combustible for the full 84 inches and at least 3 inches beyond each side of the unit. Send us your surround drawing if you want it checked — we're here to help!
What goes on the floor in front of it?
A continuous non-combustible surface 49 inches wide — 8 inches past each side of the door opening — such as ceramic on a non-combustible sheet, cement board or brick, never over carpet. How deep it is and what R-value it needs depend on how high the fireplace sits: directly on the floor or on a base under 8 inches, 32 inches deep at R 2.00 (4 inches of brick plus 1 inch of Durock gets you 1.32, so plan the build-up); on a base over 8 inches, 16 inches deep at R 2.00; between 8 and 12 inches up, 20 inches deep at R 1.00; over 12 inches up, 16 inches deep with no R-value. A bent continuous metal strip protects the joint between the protection and the fireplace, and it is not supplied.
What’s included, what’s required, and what’s optional?
-
Included in the box: The fireplace body with its C-Cast baffle and four stainless secondary air tubes, inner ash retainer and ash lip; 176 CFM variable-speed blower with rheostat and AUTO/MAN switch, mounted behind the faceplate at the bottom; Double arched cast-iron doors with 4 mm ceramic glass; Automatic air control with its auxiliary lever, plus the side and back standoffs with their screws in the owner's manual kit; 5-inch fresh-air adapter, air-inlet block-off plate and screws (for the optional fresh-air intake); EPA 2020 certification, ULC S610 / UL 127 listing and the Valcourt limited lifetime warranty.
-
Required to complete the installation, purchased separately: Faceplate and Louver - the black arched faceplate and faceplate louver, one of the four louver styles, chosen above; the fireplace cannot be finished or run without a faceplate installed; Brick Panels - the classic moulded refractory brick panels that line the firebox, chosen above; they arrive in their own box and go in after the fireplace is set; Venting - an 8" listed factory-built chimney from the approved list (see pg 61 in the installation manual) or a lined masonry chimney; Floor Protection - a continuous non-combustible surface 49 inches wide and 32 inches deep in front of the fireplace at R 2.00 when it sits on the floor (16 to 20 inches deep on a raised base, see the options table in section 6.3.5, page 40, of the installation manual), with a bent metal strip at the joint; Electrical - a 110-120 V circuit for the included blower and the automatic air control, wired by a qualified electrician with the ground on the fireplace frame.
-
Optional: The forced-air kit with its 6-inch insulated flex pipe, the 5-inch fresh-air intake termination, register and insulated pipe, the warm-air circulation grille and ROBAX NightFlame glass — the fireplace burns wood fully without any of them.
Is the blower included, and does the fireplace need electricity?
The 176 CFM variable-speed blower is included, already mounted at the bottom of the fireplace behind the faceplate with its rheostat and AUTO/MAN switch; in AUTO it starts when the fireplace is warm and stops when it cools. The fireplace needs a 110-120 V, 60 Hz circuit run by a qualified electrician, with the ground on the fireplace frame — it powers the blower and the patented automatic air control that trims the burn once you close the primary intake. In a power failure the fire keeps burning: you close the air supply by hand with the small lever, and only the blower and the automatic trimming stop.
Do I need an outside air kit?
Valcourt does not require one unless your local code, or a Novo Climate or R2000 home, calls for it — but it strongly recommends one, and the fireplace ships with the 5-inch adapter, block-off plate and screws for it. To connect outside air you add an insulated 5-inch HVAC-class duct at least 10 feet long with a P-trap loop (at most 30 feet; 6-inch pipe beyond 20 feet or more than two bends), the outside wall termination with its clamps, and the register with an airtight damper that Valcourt strongly recommends, so the intake closes when the fire is out. The intake connects on the right side of the fireplace or under it on the right, and the termination goes outside above the snow line, away from exhausts, no more than 10 feet above or 3 feet below the base of the fireplace.
How long does it burn, and what size wood does it take?
Up to 11 hours on a full load of dry cordwood, in Valcourt's rating. The firebox holds 4.28 ft³ of usable volume and takes logs up to 25 inches loaded east-west, but the fireplace is designed to burn best with 16-inch pieces loaded north-south — ends facing you — five to eight at a time on a raked coal bed. Fire each load hot with the air fully open, then close the primary intake and let the automatic control carry the burn; the auxiliary lever picks low or medium heat. Burn only seasoned wood at 15 to 20% moisture — the warranty is void on anything but cordwood.
Does buying from The Torch Guys affect my Valcourt warranty?
No. Valcourt's limited lifetime warranty covers products bought through an authorized Valcourt 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 combustion-chamber welds, castings and ceramic glass are covered for life on parts (one replacement) with 4 years of labour; the C-Cast baffle and secondary air tubes 5 years; the blower and its controls 2 years; gaskets, paint and firebrick 1 year. It applies to the original purchaser, requires installation by a qualified technician, and is void if anything but cordwood is burned. Keep your invoice and the serial number from the plate on the back; we hold the rest on file.
