Average Reviews:
(More customer reviews)The receiver looks nothing like the picture shown in amazon's site. It has no light, it does require 110 VAC and has a short 4' cord. It has a 3 position switch you don't need to use after installation. The 3 positions are
OFF - it does nothing
REMOTE - the remote is active and works fine
ON - it locks the fireplace on
NOTE: if you do NOT have 110 VAC inside your gas fireplace for accessories (blower, etc) then you should consider this unit SkyTech Millivolt On/Off Remote Control which has a battery operated RECEIVER inside the fireplace. Depending on use the batteries will last a year, if you want more use the energizer L91 lithium cells which can outdo alkaline 8 to 1 Energizer L91BP-8 Lithium AA Photo Battery (8-Pack) and you may be able to get 2-5 years. Those batteries have a shelf life of 10 years from purchase to begin with.
Back to this product for 110VAC equipped fireplaces (they both install similarly as explained below except the one linked to above has a fancier remote, needs batteries, has no AC cord, and it has a more complex remote with timer), besides the 110 VAC plug on this unit, there is 18 inches of antenna wire you just unroll and put behind the fireplace with the controller. There are also 2 ea red wires with "3-way" terminals crimped on the end, and are about 2' long. These go "underneath" your existing control switch if any at the milivolt gas valve or can be the only control. On my fireplace the trim has a small on/off switch that runs 2 wires down to the milivolt gas valve. I pulled off the connectors and put the red wires from the remote where the switch used to be, then on the 3rd terminal, I pushed the original switch connectors over them so that switch could still be used. When "ON" the red wires are shorted together just like the on/off switch does which completes the milivolt gas circuit and turns on the gas. When "OFF" the red wires are open circuit but the 3 way terminals allow the original milivolt thermostat or on/off switch to continue to function normally. I'll just mention that gas systems make their own power from the pilot light which is about 3/4 of a volt, hence the name milivolt. It is a fail-SAFE system since if the pilot goes out, the voltage is gone, and the gas valve can not be opened until a pilot is restored. Because the control voltage is so low, thermostats for furnaces with 24V controllers won't work and milivolt controls must make hard switch contacts so when shopping for gas controllers look for the words "milivolt compatible" and you're set.
IMPORTANT NOTE: Because my fireplace has a 110 VAC blower to circulate the air, the contractor installed a 110 VAC metal outlet box with 2 outlets, one was used for the blower, and one was unused which made this an exceptionally easy install. You will need 110 VAC from somewhere to operate this unit - only the remote runs on batteries. In my master bedroom I have another gas fireplace without the blower due to the room size. It has no 110VAC so this could not be used on it. To help control it I bought a $30 2-AA cell powered setback thermostat from the hardware store that operates milivolt appliances and connected the "heat" circuit to the gas valve - that is a battery powered solution, but not remote controlled. What worked great with it is that my bedroom starts warming up 2 hours before I must get up by the alarm clock and doesn't have a chill in the room when I get out of bed.
Now back to this product - before installation, set it to "Remote" if you want it to work normally. It can be confusing if you set it to "on", because your fireplace will be stuck on! If you have access you can switch it "off" when on vacation to prevent accidental starting of your fireplace. You can also just shut off the gas which is the best way, then you can stuff the remote box out of sight.
The photo of the remote is more realistic to what I receieved in the box - it has 2 buttons labeled on and off, and it operates from a single A23 12VDC battery Energizer A23 Battery, 12 Volt - 2 Pack The A23 battery provides 12V by stacking a bunch of 1.5V button cells to make a battery so it's a small 12V and the nice part is for remote controls it transmits a long ways. On my house I can turn the fireplace on or off in any room of the house.
Finally this product operates in the 303 Mhz garage door opener band and has 65,000 possible combinations to prevent accidental operation of your neighbor's unit or vice versa. The last part included in the box is a special hangar to wall mount so you can hang up the remote. Amazon needs to correct their photo to match the product shipped, and clearly show the 4' long 110 VAC 2-prong plug so visual shoppers like me are not expecting an easy battery operated product. It was sheer luck that since I had a blower unit there was one extra outlet behind my fireplace trim. I bought this on amazon because the contractor quoted me $250 for a remote circuit and never followed up on it. It proved to be an easy DIY project that saved at least $200.
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Battery Operated Fireplace RemoteGas log fireplaces can cast a beautiful glow while keeping you warm. But sitting in front of the fire can often get too hot, and having to get up to turn off the flame just as you were about to drift off to sleep isn't very relaxing. Now you can control your fireplace via remote, using the Battery-Operated Fireplace Remote. This battery-operated RF transmitter will turn your fireplace on and off from up to 25 feet away. This remote control system is specifically designed to control the operation of a gas fireplace that uses a millivolt gas valve. Simply connect the remote receiver to your gas valve and plug it in to the wall, and the circuit is then easily opened and closed without any additional relays or components. Control the valve using the included remote or manually using the receiver's clearly marked slide switch. If you don't have an outlet near your gas valve, try the Fireplace Thermostat/Remote instead (sold separately).This unit's receiver is powered by 4 AA batteries, so no power outlet is required. A Programmable Fireplace Thermostat/Remote is also available, for programmable, exact heat settings, or choose the Wireless Fireplace Thermostat/Remote. Just getting started in installing your fireplace? Try the Natural Gas Valve w/Hi/Lo Remote, a full safety pilot system that connects to your gas line.
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