Q&A Odor from ventless gas fireplace

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QandA

New Member
Staff member
Nov 27, 2012
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Question:

My search of your website found no discussion of our concern. The problem: Our new ventfree gas fireplace fills the whole house with the smell I associate with the old gas space heaters of the 50s. Is this inevitable? The new gas logs appear to be no more than a design variation on an old-fashioned space heater. We just are not pleased with the product installed in our new house. Can this problem be solved? If not, is it possible to upgrade to another sort of gas log fireplace? Friends who have them do not seem to have the odor emitted from our fireplace. I will appreciate your advice.



Answer:

I'm surprised that you were not able to find discussion of this. There are articles and quite a few Q and A that relate to it.

The bottom line is this: Ventless heaters do cause smells, either by themselves or by re-burning other odors commonly found in a home. Different homes and appliances may be more noticeable than others. Also, people have varying sensitivities to the smells.

First, you want to make sure that there is nothing wrong with your unit or installation. There are smells associated with the first 5-10 times you use such an appliance that are a result of the paint and oils burning off the product. Also, make sure the logs are correctly placed.

A CO detector might help inform you if there is any unburned gases escaping. Some professionals use an industrial grade detector to check for gas leaks or poor burning.

My feeling is that your problems relate to the newness of the unit and may go away with more use.
 
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