New Fireplaces: No Vents, No Chimney

Once upon a Time...

The first fireplaces were built without any chimney -- just a hearth in the middle of the room, with the necessary accessories to allow its use for cooking in addition to heating. However, the advantage of keeping all the heat inside the room, thus maintaining maximum heating efficiency, brought along a huge disadvantage: there was full smoking efficiency as well. The smoke could only escape through accidental cracks in the walls and roof. Fortunately, times and technology have changed the past hundreds of years. It is now possible to have a fireplace with no chimney or vents whatsoever, without worrying about clouds of smoke in your room.

What Its All About

The magic element is natural gas or propane. Since the same fuel is used for your regular cooking stove, which doesn't necessarily have a vent, it is logical that the same concepts can be applied to fireplaces as well. The air in the room is used for maintaining the fire, and once the gas is burned... well, the gas is burned. The result is heat, nothing else -- or, to be exact, the rest of the combustion products is insignificant and they can be dispersed in the room without any risks. Ventless fireplaces are highly cost-effective compared with other kinds of fireplaces, since no transformations are required in the structure of the house. And, with so many designs available, you won't regret not having installed a traditional fireplace. All you need is a gas tank or a connection to the city supply.

Purchase

If you have a look at ventless gas fireplace offers, youll notice the acronym BTU being used in the description of their efficiency. This BTU lets you know how much energy the fireplace will consume and how much heat you can expect it to release. Depending on the size of your room, you can choose a higher- or lower-output fireplace. Its not just about the heating capacity, remember, but also about the amount of air they require for proper functioning.

Risks

Remember the insignificant by-products we mentioned a couple of paragraphs above? Well, the legislation in some states doesnt agree that they are insignificant. Since any fire uses up oxygen and produces carbon dioxide (or even worse, if there isn't enough oxygen available, carbon monoxide), this can make the air in the room unbreathable and lead to suffocation. Humidity also tends to increase in the room when there is no vent available. Make sure, therefore, to open a window every now and then, and avoid leaving the ventless fireplace on when you're sleeping, as you risk not being aware of the depletion of oxygen.

Final Remarks

If the necessary precautions are taken, ventless fireplaces can be a practical and economical solution. Some ventless fireplaces emulate traditional fireplaces in form, but most of them are portable, which increases your decorating flexibility.

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