Fireplaces, Heating Stoves, Flues and Chimneys - direct vent vs ventless fireplace
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hammerash
10-08-05, 06:55 PM
I am putting an addition on my home and will put a fireplace in. As much as I loved a "real" fireplace when I was a kid, The convienence of a propane burning one and efficiency has made me decide against a traditional fireplace. So, I starting looking at propane burners but wanted to know the advantages/disadvantages of direct vent vs ventless. The local dealer doesn't sell ventless, said they are bad if you have allergies but did say they are more efficient. Any help appreciated.
Bill
Bill
twelvepole
10-10-05, 11:08 PM
Some states do not allow the sale of ventless units. Depending upon quality of unit there may be associated odor problems. Ventless units put more humidity inside the home. There are also reports of problems for people who are allergy sensitive and have respiratory problems. There is a wealth of detailed info on the internet with the pros and cons of these two types of fireplaces.
stillriverpottr
10-11-05, 09:06 PM
We've just installed a set of ventless logs in an existing fireplace. It actually got chilly enough up here to put them on yesterday and the amount of heat they through off was incredible... We love them!! However, the reason we went with ventless is because we live in a 200 year old brick house that has little insulation (other than 5 courses of brick) and mostly original windows that leak... A lot... So we have plenty of "natural" air exchange with the outside on a normal winter day... It was also cost prohibitive to line the chimney and do the crown work (estimates from $8K to $15K), so the ventless was definately the cheapest option for us as well!!
If you are doing a new addition with all the wonderful "tight" construction, I'm not sure ventless is the way to go. I think they're great in our situation, but not sure for when you're going to have a nice insulated space. It IS nice not having that glass between you and the fire - I will say that.
Check with your state and local building officials. The ventless systems were just approved here in Massachusetts recently. Go talk to some of the dealers and have them set up a set of them for you and talk about options with you. Happy designing!
If you are doing a new addition with all the wonderful "tight" construction, I'm not sure ventless is the way to go. I think they're great in our situation, but not sure for when you're going to have a nice insulated space. It IS nice not having that glass between you and the fire - I will say that.
Check with your state and local building officials. The ventless systems were just approved here in Massachusetts recently. Go talk to some of the dealers and have them set up a set of them for you and talk about options with you. Happy designing!