Vented gas logs are designed to produce a beautiful roaring fire but it comes at a cost of fuel.
Vented vs vent free propane heaters.
Many states and local codes only allow vented units within a home.
However unlike direct vent options combustion fumes in both vent free options are vented inside the home which affect some people who are sensitive to odors or allergies.
You can use ventless logs in a vented fireplace.
As a result this allows the room air to not lose heat.
It also features an electric ignition for easy startups and perhaps most importantly infrared heat.
This unit features 750 feet of reach which should cover most rooms.
These are a popular choice for vented garage heaters as they offer more options when it comes to the venting because of the fan.
If you do use a vent free logs you won t have to open the damper since these logs don t require venting.
Vented propane gas log sets.
Compared to direct vent options vent free propane heaters are less expensive and offer greater installation flexibility since they don t require outdoor venting or access to an external wall.
Vented heaters these units come in many different shape and sizes similar to the vent free units.
Vented gas log sets are also less efficient since some of the heat that s produced escapes through the chimney.
These propane garage heaters work much the same way as the gravity vented heaters but instead of the reliance on gravity they have a blower which forces the combustion gasses out the vent.
Even though the chimney can remain closed you will still lose some of the efficiency and heat from using this type of set in a vented fireplace.
The most obvious one is safety.
Vented propane heaters come with a lot of benefits.
Vented fire log sets burn about twice as much fuel as a vent free log set about 80 000 to 90 000 btus hour.
This results in no cold air coming in the house from windows doorways or other leaks to feed the fire like a natural wood fire does.
I have experience installing both vented and unvented units.
How do vent free propane heaters work.
If you are planning to buy a gas fireplace a vented model should be your first choice.
In essence wherever there is an exterior wall you can install a vented gas fireplace.
While vented propane heaters have a mechanism for disposing of any exhaust gases outside the house unvented models vent any gaseous by products inside the house.
They also give recommendations if you do buy a vent free such as keeping a window open top and bottom when you are using the appliance.
Vented log sets are great if you have a large fireplace want a blazing fire and can live with lower efficiency and higher fuel.
This is the main difference between vented and vent free heaters.
Vented gas fireplaces use outside air for combustion.
These units are vented out from its back into a chimney or a vent pipe so the combustion exhausts are directed outside.