Vent Free Fireplaces & Logs


J. R. Bolton has always discouraged the use of vent-free appliances. Manufactures of vent-free products argue that their products burn clean and are safe to use. While there have been no reported deaths or serious illnesses from the use of vent-free products, the American Lung Association advises against the use of these appliances. In 1998, Consumer Reports did a small story on their testing of Vent-Free appliances. The concluded “our tests confirm that these heaters contribute significantly to indoor air pollution. If you are planning to buy a gas fireplace, a vented model should be your first choice.”
As specialist in the fields of ventilation and indoor air quality, we discourage the use of vent free products. There are a large number of vent-free boxes being installed by builders due to the fact that they cost a fraction of a conventional vented or direct vent fireplace. For this reason, we will sell vent—free fire logs to consumers making this request. When using vent-free appliances, we recommend keeping a window open at the top and bottom. We also include a carbon monoxide detector with all of our vent-free log sets.
It is our policy not to install a vent free firebox in a new home. During the construction process, there are other options available including traditional wood burning fireplaces which vented gas logs may be installed in and direct vent fireplaces which we strongly recommend.

Vented Fireplaces

Most of today’s vented wood burning fireplaces are prefab metal boxes with specified chimney pipe. Vented fireplaces in older homes and some new homes are masonry (built brick by brick from the ground up) Either fire wood or vented gas logs may be used in these fireplaces. They allow for a beautiful open fire and can be very enjoyable. The unfortunate disadvantage of conventionally vented fireplaces is they are very inefficient. They draw room air for combustion and send the majority of the heat produced straight up the chimney. It is actually possible for your furnace to have to work harder while burning firewood or gas logs.

Direct Vent Fireplaces

Direct Vent Fireplaces bring fresh outdoor air in for combustion into the sealed firebox and exhausts the by-products back outdoors protecting indoor air quality. Many direct vent fireplaces look very much like traditional fireplaces, but they have solved many problems associated with wood-burning boxes. The units use zero-clearance technology and are designed to be installed in wood-frame construction. They can either be vented vertically or horizontally which gives you much greater flexibility in their placement. They are efficient to operate and some models allow for ducting heat into additional rooms in the home. Direct vent inserts are also available to be installed in existing wood burning fireplaces.

Vent Free Fireplaces

Vent Free Fireplaces are the easiest and least expensive fireplace to install. This is why we see so many going into new homes. The advantages are the ease of installation and the efficiency of the vent-free log sets. The disadvantages include the byproducts of water vapor, traces of carbon monoxide, sulphur dioxide and nitrous oxides. If you choose to have a vent-free product in your home, it is important to have the units serviced annually. It is also important to make sure that the logs never touch the flame. This causes carbon build up which can lead to unacceptable levels of carbon monoxide in the home.