Napoleon: Oakville GDIX3

Real heat from the fireplace you already have—turned down to a glow or up for a January cold snap.

Quick Facts

• Heating Capacity: 750–1,500 sq ft
• Viewing Area: 340 sq in
• Fuel: Natural gas or propane.
• Controls: Remote with control of power, flame, heat, and blower speed.
• Fan: Included

Who It’s For

The wood fireplace came with the house, and it takes more heat than it gives—the fire feels good while it burns, but the damper leaks all year and the room cools off fast once it dies. You need an insert that seals the opening and turns it into a heater. If you have an existing wood-burning fireplace and you want it to warm the room on a remote instead of with kindling, the Oakville X3 is the one we’d point you to. Drop in a gas log set instead and most of the heat you pay for still goes up the chimney.

What Makes It Special

The X3 runs two burners, front and rear, and lets you modulate both independently—turn it down to a quiet glow for a fall evening or run everything for the coldest week of the year. The burner is shaped so flames rise across the whole firebox, not just a strip in the middle, so it reads as a real fire from every seat in the room.

It comes ready to live with: the split oak log set and a heat-circulating blower are included, lights in the top of the firebox keep the logs glowing even between fires, and the interior is your choice of reflective black porcelain that mirrors the flames or one of three brick styles.

Possible Downsides

• It installs only into an existing wood-burning fireplace. If you’re starting from a bare wall, a zero-clearance fireplace is the right category instead.
• The fire window is the mid-size of the Oakville lineup. If you want the largest fire in the series, look at the Oakville X4.
• Birch and driftwood log sets are optional add-ons. The split oak set is what comes in the box.

If you want the fireplace you already have to actually heat the room, the Oakville X3 is the right decision. The room you used to keep a sweater in becomes the one everyone ends up in.

Faceplates come in black, charcoal, copper, and gun metal in 2 1/2″ and 5″ widths—including an arched option—with matching backerplates, a decorative cast iron surround, a riser box for added height, and your choice of Mirro-Flame reflective porcelain or Newport, Old Town Red, or Westminster brick panels inside.