- Gas Log Fireplace
- Gas Log Fireplace: Mechanism
- Advantages Of Vent Free Gas Logs
-Budget-Friendly
-Efficient
-Safer
-Easy To Install
- Disadvantages Of Vent Free Gas Logs
-Odor
-Less Heat
-Higher Risk
-Easier To Dispose Of
- Advantages O Vented Gas Logs
-Real Wood Fire
-No Loss Of Heat
-Saty
- Disadvantages Of Vented Gas logs
-Expensive To Install
-Design Issue
-Less Flexible
- Need Help Choosing Your Next Gas Log
Gas logs can be vented or non-vented. Venting gas logs connects them to an outside venting system, which is necessary if your home’s chimney is not vented for a wood fireplace. Non-vented gas logs do not require any venting and are typically used in homes that have vented fireplaces. If you’re considering vented vs. non-vented gas logs, here are the benefits and drawbacks of both types, but first, you will learn about gas logs.
Gas Log Fireplace
Gas log fireplaces are distinguished from conventional wood fireplaces in a few ways. The most apparent distinction is the source of energy. Traditional fireplaces use timber, while gas log fireplaces utilize propane or natural gas to generate flames. Fireplaces are used to keep your house warm and give a pleasant, soothing light. Fireplaces may heat your property while also serving as the focal point of a room where friends and family can gather to socialize and unwind.
With a gas log fireplace, you can enjoy the atmosphere of traditional fireplaces without all the hassle. It’s easy to use and clean because there is no ash obliging or chimney cleaning needed!
Gas Log Fireplace: Mechanism
Mechanically speaking, gas fireplaces are appliances that use natural or propane gas to generate flames. The fireplace will then release the air into your room for warmth and comfort. Mechanisms include the following:
Ventless/Non vented – these log sets have no venting system to feed oxygen to the flame. They need to be placed in a room that has open flues for chimneys.
Vented – these types of log sets will feed the flame with propane or natural gas through a venting system (chimney, flue). They do not require an open duct for air circulation as vented logs do.
Advantages Of Vent Free Gas Logs
Ventless gas fireplaces are a type of fireplace that does not require a chimney or vent to operate. We’ll compare them to their vented counterparts as we move on. The following are the top advantages of ventless, or vent-free, gas fireplaces:
Budget-Friendly
Not requiring a chimney and flue for installation means that you save money on installation costs; while this might not seem like much compared to the unit’s total cost, every little bit counts!
Efficient
Ventless gas fireplaces do not need to be vented outside; this means that they can go in any room of your house. You don’t have to worry about having a chimney running through your living area. That also makes these units more efficient, as you are heating an enclosed space instead of cooling down another one (the outdoors).
Safer
A ventless fireplace is generally safer than its counterpart. Since there isn’t anything externally connected with it like a chimney or flue, there aren’t parts exposed that can catch on fire if something goes wrong inside the unit itself; the entire combustion chamber is enclosed in the unit itself, which makes it safer.
Easy To Install
Ventless fireplaces are very easy to install; installing a vent-free gas fireplace requires no professional installation process like vented units does. That means that you can easily handle this yourself without hiring an expensive contractor or other service providers!
Disadvantages Of Vent Free Gas Logs
Disadvantages of ventless gas logs are not major things to consider, but you should be aware that there is some downside to using vent-free gas logs. Some of them include:
Odor
You can’t use ventless gas logs if you do not like the smell of propane or natural gas. These gases fuel them, so there will be trace amounts that seep into your home and give it a distinct odor even when they’re burning cleanly. That is one reason why vented logs are more popular than non-vented ones.
Less Heat
Ventless gas logs do not give you as much heat output as vented gas logs, and they can be more expensive to run over time because of the amount of energy required by the fan that pumps air into them. They also will take longer to warm up a room compared to traditional wood-burning fireplaces.
Higher Risk
Ventless gas logs are more dangerous to have in your home because they can cause carbon monoxide poisoning, which is not something that vented fireplaces can do. So you should keep them at least 20 feet away from any living space and make sure they cannot be blocked off by furniture or other items, so there’s no chance of the fumes being trapped inside a room with people present.
Easier To Dispose Of
Many vent-free gas log sets come in one-piece units rather than individual components like traditional wood-burning fireplace inserts. That makes it easier for disposal when compared to installing an entirely new unit. But this isn’t much disadvantage since most homeowners would probably prefer the ease of installation over easy dismantling when moving house.
Advantages Of Vented Gas Logs
What are the benefits of direct vent fireplace venting? Let’s take a look at some of the advantages of using vented gas fireplaces in your home:
Real Wood Fire
Vented gas fireplaces have a more lifelike flame. To minimize the danger of emissions entering your home, ventless gas fireplaces need to operate at a higher rate. As a result, this greater temperature causes the flame to appear less realistic and occasionally blue. Because the temperature is controlled, a vented gas fireplace generates a real flame. That results in a fire that most closely resembles a wood-burning fire. Vented will always be superior to ventless if realism is essential to you.
No Loss Of Heat
Vented gas fireplaces are fed with outside air to burn. Because there is no cold air entering the home from windows, doors, or other sources to provide a real wood fire, it will not grow as large as one would in reality. As a result, this helps to prevent heat loss in space and speed up its warming process.
Safety
A vented gas fireplace does not negatively affect your home’s indoor air quality since it is designed in this manner. A high-temperature glass panel separates the burning region of a vented gas fireplace from the inside of your house. Your fireplace’s temperature may be controlled by adjusting the amount of air taken in and released. That is because a direct vent gas fireplace receives air from the outside before expelling the gases outdoors.
Disadvantages Of Vented Gas logs
There are a few minor drawbacks of vented gas fireplaces, but we don’t believe they should prevent you from purchasing one. When purchasing a direct vent gas fireplace, the following are the most important aspects to consider:
Expensive To Install
Vented gas logs can be very expensive to purchase and cost a pretty penny for installation. Get your fireplace professionally installed, expect to pay $750 – $1000+ in labor alone. That does not include the original price of the vented log set, which starts around $500+. That’s already about half the price of what non-vented gas logs go for.
Design Issue
The sealed combustion behind the glass in a vented gas fireplace protects against fire. You can’t remove the glass or get too close to the flames for a vented gas fireplace to function correctly. That may benefit individuals with small children or pets, but it might also irritate other people.
Less Flexible
An exterior wall must be used to install a vented gas fireplace. This is so that it can both intake air from the outside and then release combustion by-products within its firebox. In contrast with ventless designs, which send smoke through windows or doors instead—vented fires have more control over where they’re placed since only one opening face needs access for ventilation without compromising comfort levels within your home’s interior space(s).
Need Help Choosing Your Next Gas Log
We know you’ve been searching for a high-quality gas fireplace with the best price, and we have just what you need. Darden Building Materials sells ventless and vented fireplaces that are made of top-quality materials at affordable prices, so there’s no reason to spend more than necessary on something as important as your home heating system.
Visit our website or give us a call today to find out how we can help keep your family warm this winter!