Ventless Gas Fireplaces

Jstas

Anybody have any experience with them?

We have one at the house, previous owners Captain Half-assed it right up.

Thing is, every time I've used it, it gives off this odd smell. it's not a gas smell, it's just....funky.

I did some research and found that apparently the fake logs only last about 5 years or so and they will soak up environmental odors and release them under heat.

I asked a local chucklehead fireplace dude and I seemed to be bothering him and he basically blew it off as "super heated air" which is, honestly, malarkey. The gas stovetop in the kitchen burns WAY hotter and only stinks if something got spilled on a burner.

So I'm figuring that Captain Halfass, who was a smoker and had numerous poorly cared for pets, didn't take care of the fireplace either. So I'm thinking that the logs soaking up and concentrating stink has merit and is the culprit.

I went looking and I cannot find a solid answer on if I can just replace logs or if I have to replace the entire burner assembly with new logs.

I looked into cleaning them and the consensus I found is that if they are over 5 years old, cleaning will damage them and they should be replaced. But replacement isn't such an easy thing, apparently.

So, any help?

xschop

I have one that is used almost daily in the winter because it heats the living room up quickly when we need it and very convenient with an ognoter switch on the wall.

One of the "logs" broke in half and I could see a yellowish type of fiberglass material inner core and thin outer paint layer. Whatever substance that bonds/paint is your culprit.

newbie308

What fuel does it use. Mine runs on propane, and it definitely produces an odor or fumes when it is on. I plan on adding a vent to direct the emissions outside. I know that reduces the efficiency, but I'd rather that than continue to breathe in burnt hydrocarbon emissions. Do you have a carbon monoxide detector? It is recommended when using a ventless fireplace.

sucks2beme

I think all of them go bad after a while. I have a natural gas fireplace.
Replaced the logs and burner when I moved in with ventless set up.
I now have the same issue. I just open the flue now. Not as much
heat, but it works. I only use it as a backup in case of power issues.
Other choice is to just pull the logs and run the burner. Log is just
there for looks.

newbie308

I should replace my logs with this:
https://www.amazon.com/Terrifying-Human-Skull-Fire-Pit/dp/B0BDFT8MTT/ref=asc_df_B0BDFT8MTT/?

aprazer402

If your unit is on an exterior wall and has the current unit installed within a fireplace opening, I would consider going with a direct vent unit in the same place.
https://www.heatnglo.com/ideas/understanding-how-direct-vent-works

billbillw

I prefer the 4K Fireplace App on my AppleTV...oh, wait, not exactly the same thing...

Jstas, how many hours have you used this? Wondering if the smell would eventually 'burn off' or not.

Unfortunately, my current house does not have any natural gas service and its not setup for propane either. I have to live with real wood burning, or bust out the kerosene heater in an emergency. Heat pump struggles for sure when its below 30F.

Emlyn

Best solution is to just get a new unit if the exact same logs can't be sourced. Logs do absorb odors from the room over the course of years and release odors later. A new log set would need to be a similar BTU rating sized for the room (assuming it was properly sized to begin with) since the fire uses the oxygen in the room for combustion. It'll also need to be checked for any gas leaks at the connector with soapy water. Other than that it's a pretty straight forward thing to do.

I also have my chimney flue cracked open a bit with my ventless unit and have a sealed fireplace door set so draughts don't get into the room.

kevhed72

I just replaced our logs and unit which was pretty easy. I would advise some type of remote starter or push button starter in the wall due I am getting too old to crawl in there every morning and turn it on from inside the flu. I tried cleaning the previous logs once and it doesn’t work out well. The best you can do is brush vacuum them lightly before cranking up the fireplace each year for the winter season.

daboyz

We put in a ventless fireplace in our basement. Never have had any smells or problems. It will heat the whole basement to the point that we have to open windows.

Emlyn

Some of the ventless log sets have almost half the BTU output as a standard home's gas furnace with almost no heat loss if they are truly unvented where they're set up. It's a good practice, and recommended in the manual for mine, to crack a window open a bit if they are unvented to provide fresh air for combustion.