A indoor fireplace is an inexpensive alternative to wood and gas fireplaces that can be installed in almost any part of your home. The main key is to understand exactly how a ventless indoor fireplace works.
How Does A Ventless Indoor Fireplace Work to Heat a room in your home?
Indoor fireplaces typically use natural or propane gas to create the flame. Some indoor fireplaces use flammable gel canisters for an atmospheric open flame look. A small gas supply line will need to be run to the location where the ventless fireplace will be installed if natural or propane gas is to be used. However, the flammable gel cannisters do not require ventilation - they are smokeless!
To create a realistic looking indoor flame, traditional gas fireplaces have burners that rest usually under a bed of sand. The sand distributes the gas, creating a flame that spreads over a wider area and flickers realistically. This realism comes at a price, however, and that price is combustion efficiency. An inefficient flame produces combustion gases that must be carried to the outside by a flue or vent pipes. A ventless indoor fireplace is designed to produce a very efficient flame that leaves very little combustion material behind. The lower emissions of a ventless fireplace allows it to be installed without ventilation as mentioned above.
Since a ventless indoor fireplace doesn't need access to the outside, it can be installed in just about any room in your house. Interior walls are excellent places for installation of a ventless fireplace. If you choose the right wall, it will give your room an elegant touch. The one restriction on ventless fireplace installation is that it must pre properly sized to the volume of the room it is being installed in. Proper sizing is required to maintain the air quality of the room.
Ventless indoor fireplaces still produce some combustion warnings. Most manufacturers will only recommend their products as secondary heat sources that should only be run for a certain amount of time (usually 4 hours or so). Excessive use of an indoor fireplace can lead to respiratory problems and a build up of moisture in the home that can lead to water damage and mold and mildew issues.
