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grammy3_gw

venting a ventless fireplace

grammy3
14 years ago

we have a ventless fireplace and cannot stand the smell. is there any way to vent one? it is on an outside wall. the chimney is just for looks and was already here when we bought the house.

Comments (4)

  • dave777_2009
    14 years ago

    You can't make a ventless - vented. Consider selling it.

    On an outside wall - it is fairly easy to install a vented fireplace. They exist in numerous styles...

    Room air and combustion air would be totally seperate.

  • grammy3
    Original Author
    14 years ago

    can't sell it, it is installed in a giant wall with a stone surround. darn it. we have been trying to get an answer for 4 years whether we could pipe vent to the exterior.??? the smell is nauseating.

  • dave777_2009
    14 years ago

    I was going to ask if you live in a Condo - but then I see you state 'house'.

    You need to be more forceful and direct. You can do anything to any wall in your house that you want...

    Pick up a couple of Framing books, tiling books, and some drywall books. Pick these up at a couple of Hardware stores.

    I mean - even if your wall was 3 FEET thick of solid concrete - you could replace this stove. The stove is not part of the wall. It is IN the wall. Or, as a ventless unit - it might even be set ON the wall...

    Your wall can be modified. Don't say it can't. An earthquake would modify it. A fire would modify it... So you just modify it, in a much more controlled manner...

    Just trying to encourage you actually. :)

    So bottom line, do some reading; then take the wall by the bootstraps, rip out the ventless fireplace, and put in a vented unit. Redo the stone suround if you have to... Build a temporary ceiling support if you have to...

    Hire a Pro if you must... but you CAN deal with the ventless unit, and put in a vented. What you CAN"T do - is make the ventless a vented unit. They don't work that way, are not designed that way. Trying to do that - is like trying to make an orange into an apple. But you CAN replace your fireplace with a Vented Fireplace.

    You can rent electric hand held concrete hammer drills - which generally will also take Chisels. After doing some reading - put down some plastic - and get Messy! :) Cheers. This can be done.

  • dave777_2009
    14 years ago

    Like I said - you can replace with a vented. However:

    Since you hate the smell so much of the ventless -

    Perhaps you haven't used it very much. And just need a very simple solution...

    Our vented fireplace STANK for about 6 or 7 firing ups - and having to be run for awhile - before all of the paint and stuff in the manufacture - finally quit off-gassing - because it was being used - and heating up...

    We put in a new oven; and this STANK for some time; untill we had sufficient use cycles on it - to quit the paint smells...

    I'm just wondering - if you've used your ventless enough. Or, if your still burning off paint. Because you hate the smell of it, you haven't used it...

    I have used a 'vent free' kerosene stove. ugh! So I know that any vent free - can possibly have a little 'stuffy' smell...

    So if you possibly haven't used this enough; purchase a CO detector. Install it.

    Then decide to go out for a few hours, and while your out - have the fireplace burning full bore. When you get back - you'll note if the detector is going off...

    Let the fireplace cool. Do this 6 or 7 times over the space of a few weeks. Now, does your fireplace still smell?? Just a thought for a possible easy fix.

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