Durablow TR1003 On/Off Gas Fire Fireplace Remote Control Kit + Thermostat + Timer with LCD Screen for Millivolt Valve, IPI Module, Replaces Wall Switch | Thermostat Control Module

Ordered one of these to replace a failed remote. Installation very easy. Remote works very well. I ordered and installed a second kit for my other set of gas logs this worked so well. A holder to mount the remote on the wall would have made this kit perfect.

Looking at alternatives that cost 3-4x as much but offered no other features I decided to give this a try. It arrived quickly, was well packaged, and exactly as described. Installation was a breeze; took less than five minutes to remove the existing milivolt wall switch and install the receiver in its place using only a screwdriver. Another two minutes to program the remote. Functions are intuitive and the remote well labeled with an easy to read display. Overall much better value than the $$$ ones sold by our fireplace installer. My only complaints are aesthetic: the housing for the remote and the wall plate/switch are stark white...there is no color choice. Nothing in my house is white; our switch places are either chrome or bronze...even almond would be better than this white, which looks cheap compared to anything else we have in the room. The switch place has two large holes in the face (one for the "learn" button and the other perhaps for a receiver?) which are unattractive, and it was packaged with chrome screws rather than white, which would have provided a more finished look (I will replace them). I recently installed a fan timer in another room (a Lutron product) that came packaged with white, almond, and bisque faceplates. This one should have come with almond or offer color options in different packages. Appearance aside, the remote is rounded on the bottom so won't stand on end; I would prefer a flat base or a mount of some kind...will probably end up using velcro or making a wooden base so it isn't just floating around with all the other remotes. Overall 10/10 for value, ease, and function. 7/10 for appearance. We'll use this all winter and if it fails to perform after one season I will update this review.

Good replacement for my gas fireplace. Remote works well and the temperature control also is good. I combined with with the AC Infinity T14 automatic blower fan which made a big difference in making fireplace operation convenient.

This product has worked out well, at least for the first day of use. The product arrived quickly, and all the pieces were there and in good condition. It came by US Mail in a padded envelop. My first issue was with the description. The product picture shows wires attached, which I did not need. I could not locate info in the description about these. It turns out that they are attached at the rear of the black box via set screws, and so they are removable. That IS what I wanted. My application is to remove an existing wall switch for the fireplace (the millivolt lines that control the gas valve). The second issue was with the installation. The description does indicate the size of the black box, and says to measure your electrical box first. My box was a standard plastic box, as used in the US, BUT the product black box does NOT fit in it. It looks like it would, but the strain relief labs and structures in the back of the electrical box keeps the black box from sliding in the whole way (see pictures). I did get around this problem by removing the structures at the back of the box that were interfering. They are just plastic, and easy to work with. Also, since this is a low voltage application, the structures that are there for line voltage use are not needed - but check you own electrical codes first. With the electric box modified, things were ready to be installed. I removed the two black wires from the black box. The set screws are VERY small and cheaply made, I think. You will need a very small Phillips screwdriver, or perhaps even a jewelers screw driver. A better product would have had much larger set screws that were easier to work with, and less likely to have their heads damaged during installation. I removed the wires from the existing switch, and inserted them into the back of the black box, and tightened the set screws. Very easy. Install the batteries (included) into the black box, and the remote. Before attaching the front plate, you need to make sure the slide switch on the black box is in the "off" position. Okay, this is not too hard, but the switch is also very cheaply made, and does not have strong detents in its three positions. But its workable. The front plate attached easily. The slide button also went on okay. But with that plastic slide button handle in place, the slide switch became really difficult to operate. Once again, the detents were not very useful. Once you get the slide switch into the "off" position, the pairing of the remote with the black box worked just as described. I buttoned up the installation and tried it out. It worked just fine, just as you would expect. I can turn the fire on and off with the remote as you would expect. The remote has a temperature monitor as well. I just tried it out by adjusting the desired temperature to a high level, and the first did come one. I suspect that it works pretty well, but I will need to use it for a while to check it out. I didn't test the timer function at all. Overall, I like this product. The biggest issue for the casual user is the installation in an existing electrical box, if that is what you plan to do. You WILL probably need to modify the existing box. Luckily, mine was easy to remove. If your's is nailed to a stud, you may have a real problem. It would probably be easiest to give up on that box, and install a new box, modified as needed, for this product. The set screws and slide switch are really cheaply made, and could fail mechanically if one is not careful. A few extra cents in the manufacture of this product would have made it much better, I think. Four stars. Recommended. Works as hoped, and no big downsides.

Thought this would be a good buy, not too expensive and easy install. After being in this house for 20 years and finding this to turn on and off the fireplace without getting on knees and flipping a switch on thought this would be great. Only 2 wires to hook up, installed batteries and learned remote to box, Easy! Hit the on button and fireplace came to life. After a few minutes it turned off, including the pilot, re lit pilot and every time I went to turn gas valve to "On", the pilot went out. After messing with it over and over, I removed one of the wires from my valve, pilot lit and stayed on when I turned valve. Fireplace came on and as soon as I touched the wire back to my valve, I heard a click and it all turned off. Something in the box is defective, I removed it and my fire has been going for half hour. Sending back to Amazon and they are going to ship me out another unit. I figured I'd give it one chance, I know parts can be defective. But I will add this: they have NO customer support, service, email or any way to communicate with them. There is a blog on their website and has 15 pages of complaints and everyone saying the same thing, "they can't get a hold of anyone or response". We'll see what happens when I get my second unit.

Excellent product. Works perfect and is high quality product

I have had this for about 2 weeks now. It was extremely easy to set up. My fireplace had an “on-off” switch and also had a thermostat mounted on my living room wall. I wanted to keep all of the current fixtures and add my new remote control. It was so easy because the wiring harness had “piggy back” clips on it. I simply unplugged my wall thermostat from the gas valve and plugged in the wiring harness for the remote, and then plugged my wall thermostat on to the piggy back clips on the wiring harness. I did all the wiring first and then put the batteries in the receiver. The remote was already “paired” with the receiver. I like to set the thermostat function on the remote and then set the timer as a backup. The thermostat will automatically turn the flame on and off for the length of the timer and then the timer will turn it completely off when the timer runs out. I like this setup in case I get distracted, I don’t have to worry about shutting the fireplace off. Instructions were awesome. I set my thermostat function for minimum temperature variation. My fireplace is behind glass, so not counting the glass panel removal, it took me less than 5 minutes to hook up the wiring harness and install the batteries to the receiver, this was due to reading the instructions first and knowing exactly what wire plugs into what clip.

One of these units has been In use now for a few months and this stove temperature controller with remote has performed well and done the job. Although the remote seems small and looks rather cheap it seems to work as well as the original OEM unit which is is twice or more as expensive. We found it as easy to install as the OEM unit. Would recommend. Seller provided PDF of user manual when requested. One quible: This remote came set with a 2 degree swing differential. This allows a pretty wild temperature variation when trying to keep an area in a comfortable temperature range. This swing variation setting is easily changed. (Note the manufacturer warns that setting the differential to a smaller value will likely increase the number of stove on/off cycles so that the remote updates the room temperature more frequently which consumes more battery power and may drain the remote's battery faster. ) The following procedure to modify the swing range is from the manufacturer: "SETTING THE SWING: 1. To change the temperature SWING setting, press the TIMER and “－” buttons (Fig. 18) at the same time to display the current SWING setting (Fig. 17). The letter “S” (looks like Arabic number “5”) means you are currently in the SWING setting, 2. Press the “＋” and “－” buttons to change the SWING (1, 2 , 3). 3. To store the desired SWING number, press the OK button or wait for 15 seconds without any actions, then transmitter will accept the setting and become programmed. " Done!