Ventless fireplace

[John Rubbo]

Hello,

Just wanted some clarification here. I recently purchased vent free gas logs and when my flue is closed the gas smell is terrible. To the point of bad headache. When I Open the flue and its fine. Zero smell. Am I essentially making my ventless logs VENTED by opening the flue?? Really wish I would had done more research prior to buying these things. Do I bring these back and get vented logs? So confused

 

[DAKSY]

If you are burning them with the damper opened, they are no longer ventless.
Unfortunately, vented, vent-free or burning wood in an open fireplace isn't very efficient
& is a waste of your energy dollars...

 

[John Rubbo]

At this point I don't even care about heat efficiency. My first concern is safety. Anyone else have issues with the smell from ventless logs?

 

[DAKSY]

At this point I don't even care about heat efficiency. My first concern is safety. Anyone else have issues with the smell from ventless logs?

Almost EVERYBODY who burns household vented appliance will smell something. The open flames allow for the burning of anything that can float in the air to burn. That includes (& is not limited to) dog & cat dander & hairs, dust, & aerosol sprays. The other downside is the amount of moisture you're gonna get in your home. For every 100K BTU of gas burnt you'll release a gallon of water vapor into the air. If you've got an old leaky 1850s farm house, that extra moisture might be welcome in the dry winter months. In a newer, dusk's a$$ tight home, any unfinished wood will absorb that moisture & swell.

 

[Fsappo]

I would never burn ventless in a fireplace (especially one previously used to burn wood) in a primary living area. Soot, headaches, smells are common. If you don't care about heat or efficiency just leave the damper open.

 

[eclecticcottage]

Almost EVERYBODY who burns household vented appliance will smell something. The open flames allow for the burning of anything that can float in the air to burn. That includes (& is not limited to) dog & cat dander & hairs, dust, & aerosol sprays. The other downside is the amount of moisture you're gonna get in your home. For every 100K BTU of gas burnt you'll release a gallon of water vapor into the air. If you've got an old leaky 1850s farm house, that extra moisture might be welcome in the dry winter months. In a newer, dusk's a$$ tight home, any unfinished wood will absorb that moisture & swell.

I think there's something in the log sets too. I've yet to walk into a place with a VF with a log set that doesn't have a smell, and it's very distinct. However, we have a little VF wall heater and it doesn't have that smell. Kind of makes you wonder.

And I agree, I wouldn't run a VF in a tight, or even semi tight house. We heated our Old House with a VF stove one year exclusively and it was fine, but that place was a sieve. I've been in places with them that are tighter and I can't breath well and get a headache.