This fan is usually to distribute warm air. The fan is usually not loud some models you can hardly hear it...you will have a switch to turn it on/off and run it just when you want to get the chill out of the room.

Actually Heat n Glo says the fan is required to run any time the fireplace is on. It's called a power vent.

I have a heatilator fireplace with a fan. The fan is loud. I was told that it wouldn't be loud, but when it is on full power, it is very distracting. I also don't think it works well to blow the warmed air into the room. Maybe it's because I have to turn the power down to less than halfway to not be bothered by the noise.

We went with a linear heatilator (Crave model) but did not do a fan on it. There are guidelines concerning how far above the fireplace it has to be before you can hang anything. And, non-combustible surround materials for a certain amount around it. I thought it was overkill until I felt the space above the fireplace when we had it running the other day. It was *hot*.

The fan on my heatilator fireplace is adjustable. It ranges from so quiet you can't hear it, to a jet engine is taking off in my living room.

It pushes out a lot of really hot air, on the jet engine side of the scale. I rarely use it that high, except one day when my boiler went out and that thing was able to maintain temp in January in New York throughout my entire first floor.

Linear fireplaces are different. Many have fans to cool the glass face or to push air through the operating cavity of the unit that run constantly during operation. The fans are similar to those found in your computer and are fairly quiet. The last one we installed had 6-8 of them. Theses aren't the same as the old Heatilator units that can be turned on optionally.

Find a showroom that has an operating demo model.

You'd probably be better served with a "Direct Vent" fireplace (no exhaust fan) than a "Power Vent" fireplace. Look into those.

Thank you, Jeffrey! I needed input that is specific to linear units, so that is very helpful. I am actually having a hard time finding a showroom with this model. I live in a rural area so will do research on nearby metro areas that may have one.

My other issue is that I think the flames cannot be adjusted higher or lower like a standard unit. With our current Heat n Glo (I believe it is a 8000 CLX) we can adjust the flame height which also helps us manage the heat output. And I am limited to this brand due to the the availability of products in my area.

My husband really wants a linear unit because our new house will have a more contemporary style, but I feel I can accomplish a contemporary look for a standard fireplace by thoughtful use of architectural/design elements.

It is frustrating trying to get all the facts so I can make a good decision for our needs.

Thanks again!

I'm not sure what fan is in question here.

The only fan that I know that comes with most fireplaces is the blower kit that you operate with remote control.

You have convective air intake at the bottom to draw the air from the room through the bottom grill, and you have a blower installed in the back of the fireplace on the bottom that pushes that convective heat through the top grill into the room. The fireplace with the blower kit will improve the efficiency of warm air by circulating into the living space.

I never saw a blower to cool the glass so the TV above will not overheat (unless this is something new but it makes no sense) or a blower to remove exhaust gases if there is no direct vent installed with the unit.