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.