Napoleon: Galaxy GSS74

An outdoor fire more than six feet wide, built to stay out all year.

Quick Facts

• Heating Capacity: 1,750–3,500 sq ft
• Viewing Area: 74 1/16″ x 20″
• Fuel: Natural gas; propane conversion kit available.
• Controls: Exterior on/off panel; optional timer with 30-, 60-, and 90-minute settings.

Who It’s For

The evening outside is going fine until the temperature drops, and then everyone drifts indoors and the patio sits empty by nine. You need a fire that is built to live outside, one that holds its flame when the air moves. If you want the backyard to work in April and October, not just July, this is the one to look at. Settle for a fire pit and you get a gathering spot for the few people closest to the flame; the Galaxy GSS74 makes the whole patio the warm side of the house.

What Makes It Special

The fire is the whole front of the wall: a viewing area 20 inches tall and just over six feet wide, behind a glass wind guard that keeps the flame steady in a breeze. LED lighting in the ember bed and wind guard cycles through seven colors—red, yellow, green, light blue, dark blue, purple, and white—so the fire can match the night, not just warm it.

It is also made for the weather it lives in. The firebox is 304 stainless steel, built for year-round outdoor use, and a safety switch shuts the fireplace off automatically if it is ever turned on with the weather cover in place. An exterior control panel handles on and off. Like any built-in fireplace, it finishes into a framed outdoor structure, so the stone or stucco surround is part of the project.

Possible Downsides

• It ships single-sided; the see-through configuration requires the optional conversion kit.
• The heat and exhaust management kit is optional and must be added during installation, so decide on it before the build, not after.
• The timer kit is optional, not included; the standard control is a simple on/off panel.

If cold evenings keep cutting your time outside short, the Galaxy GSS74 is the right decision. The patio stops being a summer-only space and becomes the room everyone ends up in.

Clear glass embers, the wind guard, and the LED lighting come included; optional looks include high definition oak, driftwood, and birch log sets, the Woodland media kit, glass beads and glass embers in amber, black, blue, clear, red, and topaz, MIRRO-FLAME reflective porcelain panels, a premium screen kit, a brushed stainless steel cover, and the see-through conversion kit.