Ventless gas fireplaces can give off a sulfur-like smell, especially if the fireplace is new or has not been cleaned in a while. Other factors, such as having fresh paint nearby or too much dust, can contribute to more smells when using the fireplace. For best results, service the fireplace once a year.
Don’t worry if you smell gas coming from your fireplace, it’s normal. The odor is one of the biggest drawbacks of owning a ventless gas fireplace. While ventless gas fireplaces are highly efficient and clean, they put off a distinct gas smell that many people find unpleasant.
Ventless fireplaces have plenty of benefits, but the smell is definitely a negative. As a homeowner, you should be cautious of unexplained odors that you are often around. So what exactly is the smell of a ventless gas fireplace?
Do Ventless Fireplaces Have an Odor?
The smell coming from a gas fireplace is very distinct. Often, it is described as smelling very similar to kerosene; like rotten eggs or a mixture of rotten eggs and burnt matches. It is not a pleasant smell, but it is there for a reason. The smell is often described as oily. The smell shouldn’t be overpowering. If it is (and you aren’t using brand new logs), it may be the reason for concern. Some people are more sensitive to smell and may be affected more by the normal output of the gas fireplace.
Additives to the natural gas burned in ventless gas fireplaces help the homeowner know whether there is a leak when the fireplace is not on. Natural gas leaks can be very dangerous, but natural gas on its own is invisible and odorless. This is why the chemical mercaptan is added in to alert your sense of smell that the gas is escaping. Check out this page for some knowledge of safety procedures if you smell propane when your gas fireplace is not running.
Why Ventless Fireplaces Smell
Another thing that adds to the awful smell besides the chemical add-ins would be impurities in the air. The air we breathe is never 100% oxygen. There are other elements and even little particles in the air that we breathe. This isn’t a problem for us, but when the oxygen from your house is used to keep a fire burning, the impurities in your air are exaggerated by the fire. Each particle that is burned away adds to the smell. Here is a list of a few common contributors to that awful gas fireplace smell found in the home:
Dust
Scented spray
Pet hair
Candles
Cleaning products
Wet paint
Cigarette smoke
There are many, many more things that could be found in your house that might make your fireplace smell worse. All of the particles in the air get drawn into the fire, and the fumes get recirculated back into the house since there is no vent or chimney to funnel the burnt products out. The smell reveals to us the particles we breathe in all the time without ever noticing because they are too small to see. And not only the particles but as well as natural gas.
Are Ventless Fireplaces Safe?
Is breathing in natural gas safe? Yes, in minimal quantities that are used by gas fireplaces. Gas fireplaces are designed to use natural gas in safe quantities and shut off well before they exceed their safety limit. It is harmless, though if you are smelling a lot of that rotten egg smell, you might want to turn the fireplace off, open a window, and see if the smell clears out. If it sticks around or gets worse after turning the fireplace off, you might have a leak somewhere of carbon monoxide or other natural gas, which can be potentially deadly.
One way to know something is wrong with your ventless gas fireplace is if the fire is burning yellow instead of blue. If it’s yellow, then it’s likely that the gas and air aren’t mixing properly. At this point, you should turn the fireplace off and get it checked by a professional. It might be tempting to let it go since yellow flames seem more natural for fire, but ventless gas fireplaces are extremely efficient. A blue flame is a sign that all the gas is being converted to heat. Experts also recommend that if you’ve been burning your fireplace for over an hour, you should crack a window to make sure there is enough oxygen.
The additives used are so minimal that they don’t produce the usual effects they would have on humans, but some people still develop itchy eyes or coughing. Safety precautions are put in place with these ventless gas fireplaces, such as shut-off valves if the pilot light isn’t on, carbon monoxide detectors, and ODS or oxygen detection systems that monitor the oxygen levels in the area to make sure they aren’t too depleted. These meters can notify you about changes in the quality of the air well before it becomes serious.
Overall, there isn’t much of a chance that something will go wrong, but safety measures are in place just in case. Even with these safety measures, many states have regulations on ventless gas fireplaces, such as they cannot be in sleeping places, and California has completely banned them. The safety of ventless gas fireplaces is a debated issue. For more information about types of gas fireplaces and safety measures, check out this site.
How to Stop Ventless Fireplaces from Smelling
One thing to remember about the smell of ventless gas fireplaces is that it will be worse when breaking in new logs. Burning new logs usually produces a bad smell for around the first 3-4 hours, depending on the brand of the log. Preparing for it can keep you from being caught off guard, and knowing that it is coming may lessen the impact. There aren’t many tips for getting rid of the smell short of switching to a vented gas fireplace, but there are a few.
The first important tip is to clean. Keeping the grill around the fireplace free of dirt and dust, as well as vacuuming the area, will help reduce the number of particles in the air that get caught up in the fire. It’s also not a bad idea to dust off the logs before you turn on the fireplace. Make sure to use a damp cloth to clean the grill and logs rather than a chemical cleaning spray because those chemicals can also be adding to the smell.
Second, don’t run the fireplace when there is fresh paint around or other substances like that. The fumes from the paint get drawn into the fire and can make the problem worse. Also, ventless gas fireplaces add moisture to the air, which prolongs the drying of wet paint.
Third, service the fireplace once a year. You may not think it is needed, but dust builds up in places you can’t see or reach, and sometimes problems arise that a professional can catch before it becomes a bigger issue. Better safe than sorry.
Finally, if the smell won’t go away, crack a window. It may let in some cold air, but it will also increase the ventilation in the house and give the fumes from the fire somewhere to go. If you have a chimney, open the damper all the way to try to get some airflow in that direction. If you’ve tried all of these steps and the smell is still too much to handle, then a ventless gas fireplace may not be the right option for you. A vented gas fireplace could provide similar benefits but sends the fumes from the fire directly outside.
For more information from a fuel company on why gas fireplaces smell, check out this video.
If you would like to know more about how gas fireplaces work, this article explains the operation as well as some safety features and benefits.
Ventless logs do in fact produce an unmistakable odor, some more so than others depending on the quality of the brand. There is no way of preventing this, it is simply the nature of burning gas in your home without exhausting the fumes up a chimney.
The best way to prevent smells in a gas fireplace is to improve the quality of air in your home. If you smoke, take it outside. If you have pets, vacuum regularly and consider investing in a room air purifier. Avoid the use of harsh cleaning chemicals and plug-in deodorizers.
A vent-free appliance requires room air to operate and when the appliance draws room air in with any chemical base odor it will go through the burner and come out smelling like a petroleum based product. Most chemicals that are airborne in the room that go through the burner comes out smelling like kerosene.
Ventless fireplaces release the emissions of their burn, including noxious gases such as nitrous dioxide and carbon monoxide, inside the home instead of outside the home like a direct vent fireplace.
The two most common causes of fireplace odors are water seeping into the chimney and negative air pressure in the home causing the smells to enter the room rather than leave the chimney through the roof.
Your vent-free gas fireplace must be cleaned and serviced a minimum of once per year. Prior to the burning season, and additional cleaning in the middle of the season is recommended if the appliance is used heavily or it is located in an area of heavy traffic, dust, dirt, or pet hair.
Ventless models burn so cleanly that you won't need a chimney flue at all. Smart Design: A ventless fireplace pulls air from the room and channels it through the regulator to create the flame. The warm air is then pushed back into the room through an outlet typically located at the top of the fireplace.
The biggest drawback is that vented fireplaces are much less efficient than unvented fireplaces, as heat is lost through the vent. So, if you're using your fireplace as a heat alternative during power outages, you won't experience as much warmth as you would with a vent-free gas fireplace.
Ventless gas logs will provide more heat and will not create soot (if properly installed), but they are far less realistic. They also produce an odor that many people dislike or simply cannot handle, so ventless gas logs are only recommended if heat is the primary reason for thier use.
An overall rule for safe gas fireplace usage is to not let your fireplace—no matter which style—operate throughout the night. Unmonitored gas fireplaces can lead to dangerous, often fatal, outcomes. The two most concerning outcomes of leaving a gas fireplace on for too long are a house fire or a gas leak.
It's not safe to leave it on. Why Isn't It Safe? The biggest reason is that gas fireplaces can release deadly carbon monoxide gas, which is odourless and can go unnoticed until a person dies from carbon monoxide poisoning. It is best to not leave your fireplace on for more than three hours at a time.
Vented gas logs produce carbon monoxide emissions so your fireplace must have a chimney or flue. Ventless logs do not put off these emissions so no chimney or flue is needed, and the heat is more likely to stay in your space.
In fact, in 1996, they were banned by Alaska, Montana, Minnesota, New York, and Massachusetts, however, after strong influence by the industry, all but California still bans them. Why are they banned? Many fear that these vent-free fireplaces are unsafe as they do not require any venting.
Ventless gas fireplaces are highly energy efficient, as they convert almost all of the fuel they consume into heat. This means that homeowners can enjoy a cozy fire without worrying about wasting energy or driving up their utility bills.
A general rule of thumb when it comes to ceramic propane gas logs is this: a vented log set that has been regularly maintained can last for at least ten years, while a vent-free set with the same regular maintenance will show signs of wear between three and five years if the fireplace is used frequently.
The interior surfaces of your gas fireplace gather household dust, pet dander, hair, and skin cells. It's the same thing that happens the first time you turn on the furnace every year. This dust accumulation is difficult to remove. So when all that dust starts to burn off of this dust produces a very unpleasant odor.
Smokey odors from your fireplace are usually safe and simply indicate that your fire is burning. However, if you notice a strong smoke smell, it could be a sign that your chimney is blocked. A blocked chimney can cause dangerous buildup of carbon monoxide in your home.
Simply using your fireplace without maintaining it will cause it to smell. This is because soot and creosote line the walls of your chimney. As it sits, it begins to smell more and more which will give your home a charcoal-like stench.
The answer is yes in almost all cases. A gas fireplace pilot light produces a flame from a small trickle of gas and does almost nothing else. This small flame is not enough to pose a threat, and the trickle of gas is immediately burned up, so it doesn't hurt anything either.
Regardless, ventless fireplaces of any kind and size are nearly 100% efficient, as very little of the heat they emit escapes the room. By contrast, an open-faced, wood-burning fireplace with a chimney may lose 85% or more of its heat output through the flue.
Natural gas is cheaper and is said to be relatively safer than propane. It is the natural source of hydrocarbon gas and a mixture of multiple other gasses. Natural gas is also lighter than air and its burner system would never require a safety pilot like a propane one.
CO2 is not toxic. At high concentrations it can cause sleepiness, headache, and contribute to the “stuffy” feeling of closed houses. All unvented gas heaters, even when burning properly, produce large concentrations of carbon dioxide, raising the levels of in the house.
Due to the differences in ventilation and installment needs, vented gas fireplaces are much more costly than ventless options. However, if you are planning to use a gas fireplace to heat your entire home, a vented option would be the better choice.
The answer is yes to both! Some gas fireplaces are designed to add atmosphere, such as ventless fireplaces. However, most can create a significant amount of heat in your home. A gas fireplace can heat a room, with heat output ranging from 10,000 to 37,000 BTU.
Vent-free gas logs are incredibly efficient, generally, consume less gas when in use, and have a greater heat output. This can help save more on utility bills during the heart of winter when you're most likely to use your vent-free fireplace.
Ventless gas logs are extremely efficient and will provide an exceptional amount of heat for your room. They don't require a chimney or venting, allowing all of the heat produced to circulate back into the room, rather than escaping up the chimney. Ventless gas logs are designed to achieve a clean, smokeless flame.
Soot buildup is commonly caused by clogged burner ports and improperly positioned fire-logs. A fire-log that's out of position can obstruct the flame path that ensures the clean-burning of gas. This contributes to soot formation on the fireplace. Another primary cause of soot is clogged gas burner ports.
Vent free gas logs generally have a lower flame that has a less robust look to it. The flames don't actually touch the logs, which means you are just burning gas, which tends to result in more blue flames showing up with the yellow. The next difference in the two is the amount of heat generated.
If the logs are improperly placed or are knocked out of position and get in the way of the flame from the burner, then impingement occurs. The flame impinging on the ceramic log will cause soot to form. Therefore, when installing a gas fireplace insert, follow the log placement instructions carefully!
Here's an example to help illustrate this, with a fireplace with a Btu rating of 30,000: (30,000 x 1.63) / 100,000 = 0.49. That means it will cost about $0.49 per hour to run your fireplace. If you run your fireplace for 8 hours a night, it will cost $4.41 a day.
Many opt to get gas log fireplaces in their efforts to avoid allergy symptoms, but gas logs can also trigger symptoms. Sinus barotraumas are among the most common diving injuries.
The two primary concerns with ventless fireplaces are carbon monoxide and oxygen depletion. Buy the right size ventless fireplace; this will prevent issues with oxygen depletion and carbon monoxide build-up.
“While traditional fireplaces can only be located in rooms with a flue, ventless fireplaces can be installed in virtually any room,” Galinsky says. Their location can vary, but their flames will remain static.
There is a risk of carbon monoxide poisoning when you sleep in a room where a conventional coal or gas fire, a log burner, a cooker, or a back burner is left on overnight. You cannot feel the early symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning, so it is important that you protect yourself.
What type of gas fireplace is safest? Direct-vent gas fireplaces are considered the safest kind of gas fireplace. They eliminate heat loss by drawing air from the outside of a home and then directing the air to the outside through a venting system.
All Escea indoor gas fireplaces use Powered Direct Vent Flues, making them the most efficient and safest gas heater option for your home. Why Direct Vent Gas Fireplaces are better than open-fronted fires?
If it is a ventless gas fireplace, we cannot supply glass doors for it because ventless gas fireplaces cannot have glass doors. If it is a vented gas fireplace, the two examples below will work providing the installation manual allows for glass doors to be added.
The best way to prevent smells in a gas fireplace is to improve the quality of air in your home. If you smoke, take it outside. If you have pets, vacuum regularly and consider investing in a room air purifier. Avoid the use of harsh cleaning chemicals and plug-in deodorizers.
To mitigate CO dangers, manufacturers instruct customers to keep a window open while ventless fireplaces are in operation –- advice that is easy to ignore, as an open window allows the entry of cold air, defeating the efforts of the fireplace to warm the living space.
Average sizes range from 12 inches to 42 inches, although you can find much longer, like 72 inches. The heat output can vary from 20,000 to 40,000 British thermal units (BTUs).
How long can you run a ventless fireplace? Most experts recommend that you run a ventless fireplace for no longer than 3 hours at a time, and some suggest running it for only up to 2 hours.
A vented fireplace has attractive yellow and orange flames that lick upward around the sides of the ceramic logs.An unvented fireplace, by contrast, has much less striking flames. These flames tend to be smaller and bluer. As a result, an unvented gas fireplace won't create quite the same illusion as a vented one.
Electrical components within modern day gas furnaces are important for safe operation, though they also hinder use of your unit in the event of a power outage. However, ventless gas fireplaces can operate without the use of electricity during an outage by simply lighting their pilot light.
Ventless fireplaces are not designed to have a vent added to them. Your only alternative is to tear out the existing ventless fireplace and replace it with a vented fireplace. You cannot use a vented gas log in a vent-free firepalce, nor can you burn wood in it.
That gas fireplace smell is no longer a problem with the selection of gas fireplace scents from eFireplaceStore. Fireplace fragrances provide an easy way to add a pleasant scent to your hearth. Most use fragrant oils and are meant to be placed beside or in front of your fireplace.
3. Why does my house smell like gas, but there's no leak? A faint propane smell may not be cause for alarm. It's normal for a propane odor to linger when lighting a stove, or if the pilot light in a gas fireplace, hot water heater or other appliance goes out.
To mitigate CO dangers, manufacturers instruct customers to keep a window open while ventless fireplaces are in operation –- advice that is easy to ignore, as an open window allows the entry of cold air, defeating the efforts of the fireplace to warm the living space.
A carbon monoxide detector is recommended in each room there is a ventless fireplace. Ventless fireplaces should only be used for six hours or less a day or whatever is recommended by the manufacturer.
Although it is normal for a fireplace to omit a slight odor, it is important to take proper precautions if you think you may smell a potential gas leak. Natural gas itself is odorless, but has an additive that makes it smell like rotten eggs.
Mix equal parts water and vinegar in a spray bottle and spritz the fireplace area to deodorize at the source. Spray a towel with vinegar and wave it around the room to absorb the fireplace odor. You can also use this tip to eliminate cigarette smell in your home.
If the odor is strong, leave the premises immediately and tell others to leave. Then, call your propane company from a neighbor's home. Outside gas odors should be reported right away - do not try to locate the source yourself.
This smell is a warning signal that your propane may be leaking into your home or business. Gas leaks, as rare as they are, always have a chance of occurring. They can happen as the result of damage during construction, faulty appliances, and leaky or cracked pipes.
If your home's boiler, fireplace or central heating system runs on gas, any one of them could be the site of a gas leak. It could also be coming from another source, such as your garbage, sewage or piping, or a dead animal somewhere in your home.
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