BURNSVILLE, MINNESOTA
By Bill Sendelback
Ironically, a hospital soon will be installing gas fireplaces in its new building, but with a unique "fail safe" system to ensure the glass fronts remain well below the 172 degrees F. soon to be required by the new glass door barrier standard.
Halton Regional hospital in Toronto, Ontario, contracted with Stellar Hearth Products through its contractor and Stellar's local distributor, Powrmatic, to develop a system for gas fireplaces that will not allow glass temperatures to exceed 120 degrees F.
Due to be installed in March, Stellar is supplying a custom 15-ft. wide corner fireplace for the hospital's main lobby and a custom 12-ft. wide see-through, indoor/outdoor model in the cafeteria and courtyard. The unique, proprietary design includes a sensor that automatically shuts off the gas to the fireplaces if the outer glass reaches 120 degrees F. Each model exceeds 200,000 btus of natural gas input.
"These are the first units with this new safety design," says Rob Sloan, vice president of Sales for Stellar Hearth. "We have done extensive in-house testing, and we are confident in it."
Stellar has also shunned mesh barriers in its other custom gas fireplaces, using instead its trademarked "Safe T Touch" system to keep glass fronts in the 150-degree F. range, still well under the 172 degrees F. maximum required by the CSA standard.
"Our customers have been requesting a large array of creative and unusual designs for their fireplaces," says Ross Morrison, vice president of Marketing, "and we are very happy to accommodate them, while still providing a safe atmosphere for the homeowner and the public without the use of a mesh barrier."
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