Mendota Fireplace Reviews – 2022 Guide

| Last Updated: July 17, 2021

The idea of sitting around a fireplace in a cozy nook with hot chocolate in one hand and a nice book in the other wrapped in a blanket while the night tells a story of its own is an experience like no other. 

But it has to be perfect; the most delicious hot chocolate, a well-written, captivating book, and most importantly, a good fireplace. We don’t know about the former two, but we’re here to take care of your fire piece dubieties.

Read through our formulated guide about the best Mendota fireplaces, and we’re sure you’ll have a winner by the time you reach the end. 

Comparison of the Best Mendota Fireplaces

IMAGEPRODUCT
  • Comes with a variety of log designs included
  • High heat efficiency of up more than 80 percent
  • Constructed with high-quality craftsmanship
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  • Strong and durable materials used in construction
  • Has a variety of display designs
  • Very easy to install and use
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  • Best for the Money
  • Made from great quality materials to last longer
  • Quickly heats up to maximum heat capacity
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  • Quite easy to install and operate
  • Comes with many extra features included
  • Will quickly and easily hate up a large space
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  • Comes with a very safe vent design for indoor use
  • Designed with great craftsmanship and durability in mind
  • Many extra features are included with this unit
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Who is Mendota?

Mendota is a company whose core operations revolve around the manufacture of custom-built gas fireplaces. Carefully designed and tactfully constructed in North Attleboro, the end product is an amalgamation of fine craftsmanship concordant with state-of-the-art technology. 

The company renders certified ANSI/AGA gas fireplaces along with expertly engineered gas inserts. In addition to this, consumers can reap the benefits of an assorted mix of fronts, doors, log sets, shapes, mantels, and accessories that the company designs as complementary products to its core offerings.

Choosing a Mendota fireplace is less of an expense and more of an investment that is bound to last. With an array of designer accessories, authentic fire, and highly efficient gas technology, you’re all set for your life ahead. 

What Makes Mendota Products Stand Out from the Competition?

Mendota isn’t just a company; it’s a lifestyle! As we mentioned earlier, each fireplace brings a fortune of superior artistry and innovative gas technology. 

If we dive deep into the artisanship embedded in every design, we find full-seam welding, careful handiwork, and heavy gauge steel all coalescing to build on their promise of a lifetime of contentment. With a drop of opulence, the company ties it all together into a matchless custom-built luxury. Mendota truly is a company who’s unique fireplaces reflect longevity as well as durability. 

FullView Timberline Series

The company offers a whole collection of distinctive fronts, doors, and interior linings for their fireplaces. You can mix and match and, eventually, create a unique piece of hearth that is tailored to fit your individual aesthetics. 

Employing an innovative burngreen technology, each model corroborates eco-friendliness, sealed combustion, and a direct vent system for extremely effective high-efficiency low emissions standards. To top it all off, all designs are specially built to meet governmental EPA standards as well as national LEED and NAHB guidelines. 

The company believes true luxury lies in tranquility, which is why it offers a range of warranties. Customers can enjoy a limited lifetime warranty on heat exchanger, firebox, glass, and burner. 

Review of the Best Mendota Fireplaces 

Mendota designs some of the most efficient fireplaces in the industry. The efficiency ratings fall between 70 and 84.2 percent. With such high-efficiency standards, you can’t go wrong. We recommend you to read further and pick your best option out of the selection. 

Best Overall

FullView Timberline

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What Recent Buyers Report

Users seem to love this product due to the wide variety of control it offers to them in terms of color and design. The fact that they can customize little details to fit their own aesthetics and match the decor of their home is really a hallmark feature for them. 

Why it Stands Out to Us

The FullView Timberline takes us back to the masonry fireplaces that we grew up with. The model showcases a single burner and gives you the option to play with the log sets. You can choose between birch, white oak, forest oak, and driftwood. Moreover, it features a number of different liners and face options, creating a wide landscape look.

The face options include a wide, narrow, or solo grace. The wide grace offers a beautiful wide landscape look while the narrow and solo grace each offers eight different platings to match your home’s aesthetics. When it comes to the rear panel, the company offers several different design options e.g., a red brick, grey brick, porcelain panoramic, etc. 

Bottom Line

The rear panel allows you to add reflection to the fire, tying in the whole decor of your room, which is a game-changer. The FullView Timberline is more than just a well-functioning fireplace; it’s a fine symbol of elegance and sophistication. 

Pros

Comes with a lifetime limited warranty

Ability to customize with realistic log sets

Utilizes a high-efficiency green technology

Offers a wide selection of front and interior linings

Full view offers a great field of vision that ties in with your home aesthetics

Cons

Offers lesser BTUs

Runner-up

FullView Décor

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What Recent Buyers Report

Buyers are pleased that the company offers a separate decor timberland series. It’s not surprising that they were fans of the panoramic metallic silver panels in the design; it’s just so modish. Moreover, the option to customize the firebase options sealed the deal for them. 

Why it Stands Out to Us

This product surprised us with its aesthetics, with a much different exquisite flame. This model demonstrates a flat burner at the bottom that can change the fire’s appearance, making it much more centralized, which is a big aesthetic difference compared to the traditional double burner system. We love that you get a completely different feel aesthetically. 

In terms of performance, we get a single flat burner in the design, offering a minimalistic yet elegant-looking fireplace that makes use of high-efficiency green technology to deliver beyond expectations. 

Bottom Line

With a huge margin to mix and match faceplates and panels within and even between models, the FullView Decor is a great purchase. It makes sure that it not only delivers a colossal array of fireplace designs, but it also offers a huge view so you can lay on your couch, cozy up, and enjoy the landscape from any angle. 

Pros

Chic and modern design

Has a limited lifetime warranty

Ability to customize faceplates and panels

Combines innovative green technology with years-old pioneer craftsmanship

Users can customize the firebase design from sparkling glass stones to natural river rock

Cons

Includes a single-stage turndown and hence has lower BTUs 

Best for the Money

Greenbriar

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What Recent Buyers Report

All users who own this product love the idea of having a customized fireplace for their individual homes at the most affordable price range. They’re pleased that installing a fireplace that’s just as much aesthetic as it is functional no longer costs a fortune. 

Why it Stands Out to Us

The dramatic Georgian-styled arch rooted in the design of the Greenbriar is a class apart. With such a bold and distinctive composition, you’re surely set for the years to come. Offering up to 50,000 BTUs, you have the opulence to enjoy a romantic log fire or gentle flames late at night. The configuration makes it extremely simple to adjust the flames according to your mood and weather. 

Moreover, this model employs a direct venting system that utilizes 100% of outside air for combustion, so there’s no compromise on the indoor air quality.

Bottom Line

The capability to handpick customized interior linings and fronts gives the Greenbriar an edge over all other competitors. The star feature here is that you have control over customization without paying a pretty penny. This is the best option you can get consolidating affordability and sophistication. 

Pros

Adjustable heat and flame

Design exhibits a stunning Georgian arch

ANSI/AGA certified highly-efficient wall furnace

Ability to customize the fronts, interior linings, and doors

Showcases a direct vent, utilizing outside air for combustion

Cons

High-heat model is not ideal for small living spaces

Chelsea

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What Recent Buyers Report

With such a minimalistic and compact design, it’s no doubt that buyers of this model were happy that they chose this product to install in their residence. They claimed that the small design was perfect for their small rooms and kitchen spaces. 

Why it Stands Out to Us

With an antique red firebrick design, the Chelsea exhibits a fine blend of contemporary sophistication and the charm of vintage accessories.

With a BTU range of 27,000 to 6750, it’s ideal for smaller rooms, kitchens, bathrooms, or your favorite solitary spot providing warmth in the most efficient way possible. Depending upon your mood or the condition of the weather outside, you can adjust the fire and heat. 

To top it all off, just like the Greenbriar, this model exhibits a direct ventilation system as well. It preserves your indoor air quality so you can have an indulgent fireplace experience.  

Bottom Line

Transforming your suite in ways you could never imagine, Chelsea is here to leave a mark. This ANSI/AGA certified model will never leave you disgruntled. It’s an excellent investment that is not only alluring but also reliable. 

Pros

ANSI/AGA certified 

Direct ventilation design

Smaller size to fit your kitchen, bathroom, or any other cozy area

Gives you the opportunity to customize specific aspects to fit your aesthetics

Cons

Only available in an arched design 

DXV Series

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What Recent Buyers Report

Buyers are really pleased with the DXV Series in particular and the company in general. With Mendota, the essence lies in redefining luxury, and that’s exactly what consumers have received. The customizable attributes create endless opportunities, and users are happy that they can make a statement in their homes. 

Why it Stands Out to Us

Mendota has carefully crafted the DXV series for quality-conscious individuals that put performance and craftsmanship above all other features. This is why this model, like all others, is ANSI/AGA certified to corroborate high efficiency.

This energy-efficient gas fireplace enables its consumers to go low on the central heating and broach the award-winning DXV series in their favorite secluded space, and huddle around the fireplace on cold winter nights. 

All in all, the flame and heat adjustment options coupled with unique fronts, doors, and interior linings make this model the creme of the crop. 

Bottom Line

The DXV series is an excellent choice in terms of both quality and performance. The model is carefully crafted from high-quality materials by professional craftsmen. Moreover, bold styling and clean lines create a spectacular view. 

Pros

Direct ventilation system

Offers customizable attributes

Ability to adjust the flame and heating temperature

Excellent quality coupled with fine craftsmanship and optimal performance

Glass doors enclosing the fireplace make It ideal for families with kids and pets

Cons

Glass doors need to be checked regularly for excess heating up which might give a weird odor during initial uses

Mendota Gas Fireplace Troubleshooting

A machine might be faster than humans, that is a fact, but it cannot take care of itself. As a result, all machines, at one point or the other, experience some kind of technical difficulties that need to be taken care of. Some common problems include: 

  1. Fireplaces get hot, and that can be a problem, provided you have children or pets.

  2. Some problems arise because users skip reading the instructions manual and use their own knowledge to operate the fireplace, such as the blower not working and the fireplace not starting despite being lighted.

If you’re also baffled by your fireplace and are unsure of how to tackle a problem, here are solutions to common problems to help you out. 

Photo credit: mendotahearth.com

Mendota Fireplace Doesn’t Start When Lighted

If you tried to light your fireplace and it didn’t light, refer to the instructions below

  1. The very first thing you need to do is to determine whether your fireplace has a standing pilot or an intermittent pilot system.

  2. If you look closely into the fireplace and don’t see a pilot light, it means you probably have a standing pilot system that needs to be lighted or an intermittent one, and it’s not lighting.

  3. Remove the decorative front and locate the controls area of the fireplace.

  4. Find the control valve.

  5. If the control valve has only one knob to control the flame height, its an intermittent pilot system.

  6. If it has an additional knob labeled on and off, it’s a standing pilot system.

  7. Next, attempt to turn the fireplace on to visually locate a spark.

  8. If you don’t see a spark, make sure your ignition module is plugged in.

  9. If it is plugged in, make sure there’s power being delivered to the fireplace.

  10. Once you’ve determined that the spark does, in fact, occur, but the fireplace doesn’t light, check to see if you have gas.

  11. This should do the trick; however, if you’re still experiencing problems, we recommend you to contact your local dealer.

Mendota Fireplace Remote Not Working

If you experience this problem, the first thing you need to do is check the batteries and inspect whether they have charge and aren’t damaged from corrosion. Here’s what you must do:

FullView Timberline
  1. Locate the receiver box and check whether the wires are tightly connected to the terminals. If you use the remote and your fireplace doesn’t turn on by sliding the slider switch, you need to seek help from a technician.

  2. You can also remove the batteries from the remote transmitter and the receiver box and turn off the receiver switch.

  3. Next, replace the batteries back into both compartments.

  4. Slide the receiver switch so that now it’s in ‘remote’ setting if the light on the receiver turns on and beeps two times. Press ‘on’ and hold it down for two to three seconds.

  5. If three beeps are heard on doing so, it means that the receiver box and remote are in sync.

Mendota Fireplace Blower Not Working

Troubleshooting the blower involves the following steps:

  1. Turn the gas valve off. 

  2. Turn off the circuit-breaker for the motor that is connected to the blower.

  3. Open the blower up using a screwdriver and check the blades of the fan. These need to be clean and free from any kind of dirt or dust. 

  4. Thoroughly clean each fan blade with a soft cloth and use tweezers to pick up any material that’s responsible for clogging the fan shaft.

  5. Grab the two wires from the terminals of the motor that is situated in the blower, and touch the tips of both multimeter probes to two different contacts on the motor.

  6. Now check for a reading on the multimeter. If the reading is infinite or there’s no display at all, the blower is likely burnt, and you need technical assistance from an expert.

  7. If the blower need not be replaced since it isn’t burnt, take the thermostat wires and touch the multimeter probes with it. If there’s a zero or infinite test, the problem lies within the thermostat, which might be damaged or defected.

Noise When Mendota Fireplace Starts

If there’s a noise when the burners are turned on, that typically means that the burners are dusty or contaminated. This means that you need to call in a chimney professional to clean your burners properly.

If a sound is heard while the pilot light is turned on, you need to adjust the flame to fix this issue.

If you experience a shrieking noise, it’s generally due to the fan or blower, which can be fixed by seeking help from a professional.

Comparison Overview 

Like any other industry, the fireplace industry is saturated with new and older companies fighting for survival and competitive advantage. Let’s do a comparison overview of Mendota with other industry members. 

Mendota vs. Regency Direct Vent Fireplace

Regency offers both propane or gas-powered units, while Mendota only offers the latter. However, both are similar in the sense that they allow customizability so you can come back home with a fireplace that’s unique to your home. Both offer a wide assortment of options so consumers can mix and match. Regency direct vent unit includes a Proflame remote control while there’s no mention of this accessory with Mendota’s fireplace. Both offer a limited lifetime warranty on their units. 

Gas Fireplaces Heat & Glo vs. Mendota

Heat & Glo offers freestanding stoves as well as fireplace inserts while Mendota offers fireplaces and fireplace inserts. When it comes to gas fireplaces, Heat & Glo also offers indoor and outdoor, custom as well as see-through fireplaces. 

On the contrary, Mendota makes gas-compatible models differentiated on different visual aesthetics. Some are more tailored towards traditional designs; some are carefully manufactured keeping modern aesthetics in mind, while some are a fine blend between the two. Mendota has been in the industry for longer, and it’s more experienced when it comes to R&D and technology. 

Fireplace Comparison Mendota vs. Kozy Heat

Kozy Heat also manufactures gas stoves in addition to fireplaces and inserts. Both companies give consumers the satisfaction and excitement of customizing their own fireplace to suit their aesthetics.

Kozy Heat also manufactures a model of a wood-burning fireplace. However, Mendota has been in the industry for 25 years and has more feature-rich models, so it takes the crown here as well.

Valor Fireplaces vs. Mendota

Like Kozy Heat, Valor also manufactures gas stoves along with gas fireplaces and inserts. Each category is then differentiated into subcategories based on the fireplace’s size and dimensions, i.e., square, wide, and multisided. 

Mendota differentiates its fireplaces and inserts on the basis of design, i.e., the Chelsea, DXV series, FullView Decor, FullView Timberline, etc. Valor makes use of radiant heating and heat shift technologies while Mendota uses a burngreen technology in its operations. The former penetrated the industry about 40 years ago, while the latter has been the king since 1901.

How to Light a Mendota Gas Fireplace

If you’re having trouble lighting your Mendota fireplace, follow the step-by-step procedure given below, and you should be good to go!

  1. Push in and rotate the dial to the pilot. Then push the same dial-in, after which you’ll hear the gas coming out from the pilot.

  2. While you have that pressed, light the pilot light with a lighter. You can use a lighter or the onboard ignitor that comes pre-installed in the assembly to heat the pilot.

  3. After lighting, you need to hold the dial pressed down for a little while, preferably six to ten seconds.

  4. Next, just turn the dial to on, flip the onboard ignitor on, and you’re all set.

For a more in-depth understanding of the whole procedure in addition to visual instructions, refer to the following video:

Conclusion

With such an exquisite line of designer fireplaces that are not only sublime in performance but also stunning in design, we really can’t think of any reason not to love this company. Mendota has been around for over a century, and so there’s no doubt that it excels in the art of craftsmanship paired with revolutionary technology. 

Each and every fireplace is crafted to perfection, and we’ve made sure we deliver you with the right information regarding all of those aspects. The only thing left now is for you to make a decision and bring this line of a luxury home for yourself and your family. 

Photo credit: cannedheat.com

People Also Ask

The company has quite a lot of history and detailed information & precautions. We tried to incorporate all of it, but there still might be some questions. Have a look at the following common questions, and we’re sure it’ll help you understand more about Mendota. 

Who Makes Mendota Fireplaces?

Mendota fireplaces are manufactured by the Mendota Hearth division of the famous gas technology leader, Johnson Gas Appliance Co. They have been in the industry for over 110 years.

Where Are Mendota Fireplaces Made?

Mendota Fireplaces are manufactured and assembled in North Attleboro.

How Much Does a Mendota Fireplace Cost?

The price of your Mendota fireplace will depend upon the size, customizations, and dimensions you choose according to your home. Generally speaking, they will cost you around $6000-$8000.

Who Owns Mendota?

Johnson Gas Appliance Co owns Mendota.

How Long Has Mendota Been Around?

Mendota has been in the industry since 1901, so we can safely say they have been practicing and mastering the art of lavish fireplaces and inserts for over 110 years. 

Why Are Mendota Fireplaces So Popular?

Mendota fireplaces incorporate their innovative burngreen technology for high efficiency and low emissions. The fireplaces are eco-friendly and do not emit any kind of toxic materials. Furthermore, the company gives its customers the choice to build their own fireplace from a wide array of accessories and design options. The custom-built luxury fireplace is hence loved by customers, adding to the popularity of the company. 

What Kind of Warranty Does Mendota Offer?

A limited lifetime warranty covers heat exchanger, firebox, glass, and burners while other components are covered in a standard one or two-year parts warranty.

How to Clean Mendota Fireplaces?

Clean every bit of dust build-up and contamination around the control. Check the condition of the wires; see if they’re in good condition or burnt or melted. Clean the pilot thermocouple thermopile and the burner ignition ports using a soft cloth. 

Run a vacuum across the pilot light assembly to keep it clean and dirt-free. The burner ports should also be vacuumed. Regularly remove the logs and coals and thoroughly clean the burner as well as the logs. 

Always check the logs at regular intervals for carbon buildup. If it has deposited, be sure to call in an expert and take cleaning precautions as necessary. Make sure the vent terminal is clean and free from any kind of twigs or other debris.

How to Clean Glass On Mendota Fireplace?

In order to clean the glass:

1. Open up the grills, both top, and bottom.

2. Next, move to the bottom part of the fireplace and undo the spring levers located under the glass.

3. Now, fold the glass up and take it off the assembly.

4. Once you have it out, clean it with regular glass cleaner or any other concoction you use.

5. And fix it back together.



My name is Bob Wells and I am a retired HVAC tech from Washington state. I am currently retired and no longer do much with HVAC, however, I feel like I have a lot of knowledge in the subject and I wanted to create a website where I could talk about what I've learned and help upcoming HVAC techs. Find more info about me and HVAC Training 101.