We all enjoy sitting around the fireplace and enjoying the warmth of a nice roaring fire. However, many people live in homes that do not have fireplaces nor do they have the money to take on a major remodeling job. Constructing a fireplace is just that. The adding of a fireplace in existing construction is extremely costly and often times quite a challenge to locate in the room that you desire. Now there is a cost effective solution. The ventless gas fireplace is now available and has become a very popular option for homeowners that find themselves in the exact situation we just described.
These modern ventless gas fireplace units are great to supplement the heat in a room that you just can't seem to keep warm. Since they are fueled by natural or propane gas and use no electricity they also provide a great source of back up heat in the case of a power outage. But these benefits do not come without some safety concerns.
First of all, since these units are not vented to the outdoors, they emit any unburned gases and carbon monoxide back into the room. As the air is recirculated back into the room, it stands to reason that the mixing of these gases, no matter how small, has to reduce the percentage of oxygen in the room air. Even though studies show that non-vented gas devices meet or exceed present day federally mandated standards and guidelines for inside air quality, there is still some question as to the long-term effects of exposure to these low level emissions.
Another issue with a ventless gas fireplace is what effect the water vapor produced by these units has on the air quality. As with any gas burning appliance, moisture is a by product of the combustion of natural or propane gas. With a vented gas appliance, this water vapor is carried out the chimney or flue pipe and is dispersed into the outside atmosphere. But with a non-vented device, the moisture is vented back into the home and mixed with the room air. For this reason, the manufacturers recommend that the use of these units be stopped after 4 to 7 hours to decrease the chance of causing mold or mildew issues.
One other concern is the maintenance of one of these ventless devices. In order to operate properly, these units must operate at peak efficiency. You must remember that gas appliances will eventually fail due to prolonged use, fatigue from the heat, corrosion, and expansion and contraction. They must be inspected, cleaned and checked on at least a yearly basis by a qualified heating professional such as the ones at Atlanta Plumbing or Atlanta Heating and Air.
The ventless gas fireplace is a wonderful development and helps to overcome some problems homeowners have when attempting to compromise on the installation of a fireplace. However, if you choose to install one of these units, just remember that there are still some safety issues that only time will tell if they will produce any long-term effects on our health. Also insure that your non-vented appliance is always kept in perfect condition and peak working order.
Thursday, November 5, 2009
Wednesday, November 4, 2009
Pitfalls of a Ventless Gas Fireplace
We all love to sit in front of a nice warm fire on a cool evening enjoying the company of our family and friends. Unfortunately, not all homes have built in fireplaces. But now, with the development of the modern ventless gas fireplace, anyone can now enjoy the beauty of a toasty fire almost anywhere in their home. These modern units burn much hotter than their vented cousins thanks to high efficiency burners. These burners almost totally consume all of the products of combustion, therefore, there is no need to vent unburned gases to the outdoors. However, for all the benefits these new ventless fireplaces provide there are several issues you need to consider before you commit to the installation of one of these units.
While many of these self contained units look quite realistic as a whole, the ventless logs burn with a yellow flame and have glowing embers that tend to look less realistic than the vented logs. So no matter how much quality and effort manufacturers put into their attempts to make these log sets look like the real thing, they still fall short of that goal.
While these units do produce an adequate amount of heat to warm most any size room, they must be properly sized in order to do so. One of the problems lies here. If you encounter an inexperienced sales person, you could find yourself with a heater that is not the proper size for your room. In this case, you would actually have a worse problem if the unit you purchase is too large for the room in which it is installed. If your unit is too small, it just will not produce an adequate amount of heat to keep the room warm. However, if the unit is too large for the room, it may consume too much of the room's oxygen which could produce a dangerous situation if the included oxygen depletion sensor were to malfunction and not shut the gas supply off to the fireplace.
Another issue develops when someone tries to use their ventless gas fireplace for the primary heat source in a room. These units are meant to be used as a supplemental heating system and will cause issues with moisture if burned for more than 4 to 7 hours at one time. As with any gas burning appliance, moisture is produced when natural or propane gas is burned. With vented gas appliances, this moisture is carried to the outdoors with the toxic gases through the flue pipe or chimney. When ventless gas fireplaces burn, water vapor from the fire is vented into the home, which may cause condensation on windows, or in the long-term mold or mildew issues.
There is still some question about these non-vented fireplaces affect on the air quality in the home. Therefore, some state building codes do not allow the use of these type appliances. Be sure to check with your local building department if you are considering one of these units for your home. Before you make your final decision to purchase a ventless gas fireplace you might also want to check the web sites of the following agencies as they have issued air quality warnings about these units: American Lung Association(ALA); Center for Disease Control (CDC); Environmental Protection Agency (EPA); and the Mayo Clinic.
While manufacturers maintain that their units meet or exceed all indoor air-quality guidelines as set forth by the American Gas Association, there is still some concern about fumes vented into the home as opposed to being vented outside. If you are considering the installation of a ventless gas fireplace in your home, be sure you purchase a properly sized unit, opt for professional installation and as with any gas fired appliance, be sure to follow all the manufacturer's guidelines concerning safety, use and maintenance.
While many of these self contained units look quite realistic as a whole, the ventless logs burn with a yellow flame and have glowing embers that tend to look less realistic than the vented logs. So no matter how much quality and effort manufacturers put into their attempts to make these log sets look like the real thing, they still fall short of that goal.
While these units do produce an adequate amount of heat to warm most any size room, they must be properly sized in order to do so. One of the problems lies here. If you encounter an inexperienced sales person, you could find yourself with a heater that is not the proper size for your room. In this case, you would actually have a worse problem if the unit you purchase is too large for the room in which it is installed. If your unit is too small, it just will not produce an adequate amount of heat to keep the room warm. However, if the unit is too large for the room, it may consume too much of the room's oxygen which could produce a dangerous situation if the included oxygen depletion sensor were to malfunction and not shut the gas supply off to the fireplace.
Another issue develops when someone tries to use their ventless gas fireplace for the primary heat source in a room. These units are meant to be used as a supplemental heating system and will cause issues with moisture if burned for more than 4 to 7 hours at one time. As with any gas burning appliance, moisture is produced when natural or propane gas is burned. With vented gas appliances, this moisture is carried to the outdoors with the toxic gases through the flue pipe or chimney. When ventless gas fireplaces burn, water vapor from the fire is vented into the home, which may cause condensation on windows, or in the long-term mold or mildew issues.
There is still some question about these non-vented fireplaces affect on the air quality in the home. Therefore, some state building codes do not allow the use of these type appliances. Be sure to check with your local building department if you are considering one of these units for your home. Before you make your final decision to purchase a ventless gas fireplace you might also want to check the web sites of the following agencies as they have issued air quality warnings about these units: American Lung Association(ALA); Center for Disease Control (CDC); Environmental Protection Agency (EPA); and the Mayo Clinic.
While manufacturers maintain that their units meet or exceed all indoor air-quality guidelines as set forth by the American Gas Association, there is still some concern about fumes vented into the home as opposed to being vented outside. If you are considering the installation of a ventless gas fireplace in your home, be sure you purchase a properly sized unit, opt for professional installation and as with any gas fired appliance, be sure to follow all the manufacturer's guidelines concerning safety, use and maintenance.
Monday, November 2, 2009
How Does a Ventless Gas Fireplace Work?
Everyone looks to have a fireplace as one of their desired amenities when they are searching for a new home. Unfortunately, there are many great homes out there that have all the other things necessary to cause home buyers to settle for the fact that they may lack a fireplace. Well, thanks to new technology, those homeowners can now easily install a ventless gas fireplace that will resemble the real thing closely enough that makes the fact there was not a fireplace when the home was purchased a non factor.
Ventless gas fireplaces consist of high efficiency burners and faux logs. These fake logs are manufactured to closely resemble the real thing. They are made of materials and painted so that at a glance they are hard to distinguish from real logs. But, of course, one of the advantages is that they are not real. With a fake set of logs, there is no need to purchase or cut wood, then split it and load it, haul it home and stack it, carry it in and struggle to light a fire. There is also no mess that has to cleaned up after hauling in the logs and no ashes that have to be removed from the firebox and disposed of. Most of these fireplaces operate using a remote control that turns the unit on and off which provides the ultimate convenience when a fire is desired.
The burners used in these high efficiency gas heaters produce a flame that burns much hotter than the burner in their vented counterparts. Since they burn hotter they produce results that provide almost total fuel combustion. This results in a reduction in the amount of carbon monoxide emissions and soot that is produced. Since there is less soot and carbon monoxide produced, there is no need to vent dangerous unburned gases to the outdoors, so no chimney or flue pipe is necessary. Thus, there is also less heat loss with no chimney so these ventless gas fireplaces heat more efficiently which results in a more even dispersal of the heat without constantly having to adjust the logs as you do in a wood burning fireplace. The burners of course are fueled entirely by natural or propane gas and require no electricity to operate. Therefore, they make an excellent emergency heat source in case of a power outage.
Another important feature in the operation of any non-vented gas appliance is an oxygen depletion sensor or ODS. These sensors are required on a modern ventless gas fireplace in order to shut the flow of gas off if the oxygen level near the bottom of the gas burners falls below unhealthy levels. Many of these appliances also have audible alarms and carbon monoxide detectors that provide additional levels of protection against the possibility of producing an oxygen deficient environment.
These fireplaces are becoming more and more popular and it is easy to see why. There is no messy wood to deal with, a remote control that provides for total operation and immediate ignition and shut off of the fire. They can be placed anywhere in any room as long as a gas line is accessible and provide more efficient heat than other types of portable heating devices.
Ventless gas fireplaces consist of high efficiency burners and faux logs. These fake logs are manufactured to closely resemble the real thing. They are made of materials and painted so that at a glance they are hard to distinguish from real logs. But, of course, one of the advantages is that they are not real. With a fake set of logs, there is no need to purchase or cut wood, then split it and load it, haul it home and stack it, carry it in and struggle to light a fire. There is also no mess that has to cleaned up after hauling in the logs and no ashes that have to be removed from the firebox and disposed of. Most of these fireplaces operate using a remote control that turns the unit on and off which provides the ultimate convenience when a fire is desired.
The burners used in these high efficiency gas heaters produce a flame that burns much hotter than the burner in their vented counterparts. Since they burn hotter they produce results that provide almost total fuel combustion. This results in a reduction in the amount of carbon monoxide emissions and soot that is produced. Since there is less soot and carbon monoxide produced, there is no need to vent dangerous unburned gases to the outdoors, so no chimney or flue pipe is necessary. Thus, there is also less heat loss with no chimney so these ventless gas fireplaces heat more efficiently which results in a more even dispersal of the heat without constantly having to adjust the logs as you do in a wood burning fireplace. The burners of course are fueled entirely by natural or propane gas and require no electricity to operate. Therefore, they make an excellent emergency heat source in case of a power outage.
Another important feature in the operation of any non-vented gas appliance is an oxygen depletion sensor or ODS. These sensors are required on a modern ventless gas fireplace in order to shut the flow of gas off if the oxygen level near the bottom of the gas burners falls below unhealthy levels. Many of these appliances also have audible alarms and carbon monoxide detectors that provide additional levels of protection against the possibility of producing an oxygen deficient environment.
These fireplaces are becoming more and more popular and it is easy to see why. There is no messy wood to deal with, a remote control that provides for total operation and immediate ignition and shut off of the fire. They can be placed anywhere in any room as long as a gas line is accessible and provide more efficient heat than other types of portable heating devices.
Sunday, November 1, 2009
What is a Ventless Gas Fireplace
We all have countless fond memories of sitting in front of a warm, roaring fire on a chilly evening and enjoying the company of family and friends. Thanks to the invention of the ventless gas fireplace, we can now add to our bank of memories most anywhere without the necessity of a chimney or flue pipe. Unlike other other forms of heat such as a steam or oil filled radiator, a ventless gas fireplace can be installed under a counter, in a cabinet, or they can be built into a wall.
These appliances are especially beneficial to people that live in older homes that may be inadequately insulated. In most older homes, there is always a room or two that you just cannot seem to get warm enough. This is exactly the situation these ventless fireplaces are designed to eliminate. The ventless gas fireplace is designed to be used as a supplemental heating device in a single room. Therefore, if you have a drafty room or two in your house, one of these fireplaces can help make the room more comfortable, thus restoring use of the room. They can also warm the room at a much less expensive rate then say an electric heater or electric fireplace as these gas fireplaces cost just pennies to operate.
A ventless gas fireplace is extremely efficient to operate. Without venting the hot gases out of the building via a flue pipe or chimney, much more of the heat stays within the room occupied by the fireplace. Because it doesn’t need a chimney, there is no heat loss so the efficiency of the vent free gas fireplace ranges from 92 to 95 percent. These units burn with such a hot flame, that the results are almost total fuel combustion, a benefit that reduces the amount of carbon monoxide emissions and soot produced.
Many different styles and sizes are available, making these units fit in to almost any room decor. If you have always wanted a fireplace in a room where before the cost or access to the outdoors for a chimney prohibited its installation, the ventless gas fireplace can now provide you with a solution that will not only warm your body, but will also warm your heart.
These appliances are especially beneficial to people that live in older homes that may be inadequately insulated. In most older homes, there is always a room or two that you just cannot seem to get warm enough. This is exactly the situation these ventless fireplaces are designed to eliminate. The ventless gas fireplace is designed to be used as a supplemental heating device in a single room. Therefore, if you have a drafty room or two in your house, one of these fireplaces can help make the room more comfortable, thus restoring use of the room. They can also warm the room at a much less expensive rate then say an electric heater or electric fireplace as these gas fireplaces cost just pennies to operate.
A ventless gas fireplace is extremely efficient to operate. Without venting the hot gases out of the building via a flue pipe or chimney, much more of the heat stays within the room occupied by the fireplace. Because it doesn’t need a chimney, there is no heat loss so the efficiency of the vent free gas fireplace ranges from 92 to 95 percent. These units burn with such a hot flame, that the results are almost total fuel combustion, a benefit that reduces the amount of carbon monoxide emissions and soot produced.
Many different styles and sizes are available, making these units fit in to almost any room decor. If you have always wanted a fireplace in a room where before the cost or access to the outdoors for a chimney prohibited its installation, the ventless gas fireplace can now provide you with a solution that will not only warm your body, but will also warm your heart.
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