Ventless Fireplace Designs

You might find the idea of a ventless fireplace very confusing. Don’t all fireplaces need some way of venting out the smoke? Well, actually, ventless fireplaces do exist, although they may not fit the building codes in your area. These ventless fireplaces use propane or natural gas, not wood, and they include a sensor that measures the level of oxygen. If this level falls below a certain level, the gas is automatically shut off. These ventless fireplaces also produce very low amounts of carbon monoxide.

Ventless fireplace designs focus on re-circulating heat. This makes them incredibly efficient at warming up a room. Most of the heat comes from the combustion gases. However, while they work very well, they actually don’t look as nice as wood burning fireplaces or other gas fireplaces. The flame is smaller and doesn’t look as realistic. Generally, you also have to place the ventless fireplace near a window and have that window opened just a bit.

Ventless fireplaces do not allow you to actually access the flame itself—it’s sealed behind a glass door so that no gas can leak into the room. There is a small air intake that allows oxygen to enter the fireplace, and you do have to point the small wall-mounted vent out a window or even through the roof so that the cooled combustion gases can be vented. Most also feature a fan that blows the warm around the room and then sucks in the cooled air to reheat it. These fans increase the heat circulation and help heat the area more quickly, although they are optional.

There are a number of different ventless fireplace designs. The standard size is a one-sided model that can be placed up against a window, but there are two-sided, three-sided, and even four-sided models, plus some ventless fireplaces are designed to find in the corner or in a bay window. There are some special models made to go at the end of your kitchen bar as well. All models come in different sizes, with some wider, higher, or deeper than others. Most are available in either rear or top venting, and some models give you longer vents than others. The ventless fireplace design that’s right for you depends on what you need the fireplace for and how close you can put it to the window or roof. However, as you can see, there are enough different designs that you’re sure to find one that works for you.