Mendota: FV32i Fullview

A compact insert with a bigger view of the fire.

Quick Facts

• Fuel: Natural gas or propane.
• Controls: Electronic ignition with a thermostatic remote: flame height, burners, fan speed, lights, and a timer from your seat. Wi-Fi app control is available.
• Fan: Included.

Who It’s For

A small masonry fireplace usually means a small window on the fire. You want the most view you can get from a compact insert. The Mendota FV32i FullView is made for that. Leave the old opening as it is and it keeps sitting dark.

What Makes It Special

Mendota says the FV32i gives 30% more viewing area than comparably sized inserts, and that it is among the most efficient of all gas fireplace inserts.

New magnetic fronts give it a flush, streamlined look. It has Mendota’s Classic fire comes from a two-tiered burner that gives the flames dramatic depth, and you can turn off the rear burner and lower the flame from the remote for a gentler fire.

If the power goes out, plug in the back-up battery pack and the burner and flame height keep working; the fans and accent lights wait for the power to return. Mendota builds its fireplaces from heavy-gauge steel with full-seam welding and careful hand assembly in America’s heartland.

Possible Downsides

• Surround, logs, liner, and front are sold separately. You choose each one to build the look.
• The fans need power. In an outage the battery pack runs the burner, not the fans.

If you want a Mendota fire in your existing fireplace, the Mendota FV32i FullView is the right decision. The fireplace you used to ignore becomes the one you light every evening.

Choose the surround, front, liner, and log set or media, and add the LED floor light kit where offered.