Enclosure Guide

• Cut to the width shown above. It carries ⅜" of clearance in total — ⅜" over nominal, split across the two outside edges — so the insert seats without being forced. Depth and height are as listed.
• Keep the corners sharp, not rounded. The insert drops in and hangs from its flanges, so the opening has to be accurate.
• Spec sheets publish a tighter + ¼" width. Our install crews recommend the extra room: it keeps air moving around the internals and protects the light strips and fans while the unit is worked into place.

Moving air is the most common cause of installation trouble: it pulls the flame down and drives vapor onto the components.

• Keep HVAC off the fireplace. Don't let a supply vent blow directly at the insert.
• Seal open wall cavities behind and beneath the enclosure. Ideally the bottom enclosure is drywalled and sealed before the insert goes in.
• Many newer homes run “open plenum” positive-pressure HVAC, which pushes air into the enclosure. On a new build, seal as a matter of course rather than waiting for a problem.

• Allow at least 50 square inches of air intake per 20" of unit length, through the top lid or — if a decorative top or media covers it — through a toe kick beneath the enclosure.
• Keep the top clear. Heavy items or media on the lid block the intake the unit relies on.

• Recess the insert and build a matte-black light trap above the opening so the LEDs don't wash onto the ceiling. The calculator above gives the maximum opening height for your setback.
• Keep 6" of clearance from side walls, or use an open-ended or blind-corner design, so light doesn't reflect onto the adjacent surface.

• The Pro and Original gang into 80", 100" and 120" ribbons on a single remote. Pick the total length in step 1 and the guide sizes the opening.
• A run is one continuous cutout, not two. The ⅜" of clearance is split across the two outside edges — the units meet flush, so nothing is added in the middle.
• The Lite is the one model that can't be ganged.

When the framing is already open and can't be drywalled and sealed, our crews seal the unit itself — during the install, while the enclosure is still open.

• Flip the unit and run 3"-wide black tape (Gorilla or equivalent) over all the open edges underneath, plus the air vents along the front and back sides.
• Not for media-topped installs. That tape leaves the top vents as the unit's only intake, so if logs or rocks will cover the top, frame and seal the enclosure properly instead and vent through a toe kick.
• On an Aquafire Original with a Direct Plumb Kit, the seal has to meet the surrounding structure. In high-rise condos, where wall assemblies breathe, an unsealed kit has caused installation issues.

Design reviews are free. Send your schematic or working drawings to sales@aquafire.com and we'll check the dimensions, the light trap and the airflow before anything is built.