Your Feelings on a Vent-Free Nat Gas Fireplace/Stove?

What do you feel about these types of units?

Personally I feel that any type of fuel burning unit should be vented. This is why they tell you to not heat your home with gas oven or stove. That exhaust product has to go somewhere and is exhausted in the home's breathing space. If there is a burner malfunction of some sort and it starts making CO, well there is no exhaust stack to vent that to atmosphere and into the home it goes. C

I looked up an instruction manual for one unit and there are all sorts of requirements on where they can be installed. They need to be installed in a house or room with at least x amount of square feet or then it becomes hazardous to run in a "confined space" (thats what the manual calls it). They also put moisture into the room which may lead to problems.

Call me old fashioned but I just don't like them...

They are a double edged sword but, a basically agree with you.

I wouldn't think they would be much of a problem IF you have a working CO detector, and there enough leaks where fresh air can enter.

Nope don't like 'em one bit. My neighbors have a coupe of the vent less propane heaters. I agree that they should be vented. Then there are those kerosene heaters that people use. And they really smell bad.

My Mom and Step Dad had a ventless gas insert in their fireplace. It caused a lot of condensation since a byproduct of methane is H20 along with CO2.. I can't think that any heating device that burns carbon based fuels would be safe without venting. If the burn isn't just right, you get incomplete combustion and all the compounds that are a consequence of it ranging from headaches to poisoning.. People heating with kerosene heaters?? I can't believe it would be healthy at all!!

Just my 2 cents worth with a lil paranoia sprinkled about...

I wouldn't have one in my home. They are a really bad idea. They have an oxygen depletion sensor that is supposed to shut them down if the air in the room falls below a certain threshold. I don't like trusting my life to this sensor. Plus they stink! The fireplace industry calls them vent free. I call them room vented, lung filtered.

On the contrary, kerosene heaters are very efficient and clean. There is a method to properly run them, just like wood or coal, but they are effective when sized properly. In fact, they have a kerosene heater that looks like a wood burning fireplace. I have to admit that I'm a kerosene heater collector, just another hobby that I have where people just stare at me funny when I talk about it.

EarthWindandFire wrote:On the contrary, kerosene heaters are very efficient and clean. There is a method to properly run them, just like wood or coal, but they are effective when sized properly. In fact, they have a kerosene heater that looks like a wood burning fireplace. I have to admit that I'm a kerosene heater collector, just another hobby that I have where people just stare at me funny when I talk about it.

How many? I dare ya to fire em all up at once and stand around amongst it for a while
Just kidding, that's cool man.. I personally wouldn't trust one is all

The farmhouse in my avatar was owned by my family from 1920 until the 1970's. They heated all 4,000 sq feet with just kerosene heaters. My great-grandmother breathed all that bad air until she was 99 years old.

The kerosene heaters they used were made by Perfection. This company was backed by John D Rockefeller. By 1918, more than 5,000,000 kerosene heaters were in use.

Just Goggle problems with ventless appliances and you won't install one.

Those are for swingers with disco balls in their living room and swings hanging over their bed, might as well get an electric one for all the heat its not going to produce to meet UL testing criteria

EarthWindandFire wrote:The farmhouse in my avatar was owned by my family from 1920 until the 1970's. They heated all 4,000 sq feet with just kerosene heaters. My great-grandmother breathed all that bad air until she was 99 years old.

The kerosene heaters they used were made by Perfection. This company was backed by John D Rockefeller. By 1918, more than 5,000,000 kerosene heaters were in use.

Wow I'd a never thought. I stand humbled. That's quite impressive.

Never liked 'em.
I can tell right as I walk into someone's home if they're using vent free gas logs or similar appliance because of the smell.
I will say that kerosene heaters can work really well but I would be careful about using any type of unvented heater in an airtight home.

EW&F ,those weren't ventless kerosene heaters ,were they??we lived in the second house on my in-laws farm for 21 yrs.it was heated by a vented kerosene heater,i think the name was Duo-Therm,not sure tho. It was a very good way to heat back then,only smelled kero fumes when strong winds backdrafted. I can't stand to be in a house with propain cook stove,i always get sick,inserts would probably be the same.

I feel they can be used in certain situations. I have a vent free brick style propane heater that I use in the fall before lighting the stoker then again in the spring after shutting down the stoker. My use is in an older farmhouse in the first floor living area mostly used to take the chill off in the morning and if needed in the evening. This home has many air leaks and is not the best insulated. I have never had any problems but I would not use one in a newer airtight house and certainly not in a sleeping area. I like having the extra heat source for the spring and fall and also in case of a power outage. I average less than $200.00 of propane per year.
Of course it goes without saying to use a co detector!

I have a ventless Vermont Castings Propane unit in my living room (came with the house). It is for emergency heat only, I do not like the smell it creates. Perhaps an air adjustment would clean up the burn, but I haven't experimented with it. Someday I would like to install another thimble in the chimney and put a Crane 44 or Chubby there instead, but it is far down the list.