Okay, I went and called a guy who does installations for these types of fireplaces (and works for the gas company for my area as well)

I'm not sure if this would pertain to you as well, but here's what he told me.

What he told me I would want to replace the unit this house has is called a Vent Free Firebox Insert with natural gas logs already set in there, a complete unit.

He said it doesn't matter whether the damper is open or closed because it's a fire box and everything is contained within that box, nothing going up the chimney.

He said if it has a glass door, you want it open, but it's better to get the screened unit.

Some units have an on and off switch. He said they have a remote control that once lit can turn it off. There's also a remote that's thermostatic that can turn it on and off depending on the temperature. I hope I got it all right, he has such an accent and talked fast!

In looking on line, I see something about circulating heat - have to ask him about that, not sure if it's good to have or not.

Honestly, from what this guy told me, it's not that much cheaper on the low end of the cost to just fix the thing correctly, but as long as it's done correctly, I guess I really don't care either way if it's this new firebox insert or fixing, as long as they're paying for it and it's done professionally.

D

D,

Thanks for sharing the information. Lowes is selling the ventfree gas log and I would like to buy to replace my existing vented gas log which stopped operating.

In your case, since you need to redo the tiles which can be costly, installing the complete firebox will avoid the need to repair the firebricks..

In my case, the fireplace is in good condition. Only the unit that controls the closing/opening of the gas inlet valve fails. I was advised by the manufacturer that to replace the unit, it would cost as much as buying the whole set of gas log since they are integrated. Now, Lowes is selling the whole ventfree gas log with control unit, but not the vented gas log. As the result, I would like to seek expert advice from the forum to find out how do I operate the fireplace with the new ventfree unit.

We only use the fireplace whenever we could find a time to sit down and enjoy the dancing flames. It is more of a decorative item than a heating necessity. However, we would want to be sure that putting a ventfree in the place of a vented will not have any issues.

D.

Hopefully someone will answer you with the correct info. If no one does in due time, maybe you can call someone like I did locally for an answer. One site that seemed like they'd possibly have an answer that I was looking on was fireplacesnow.com - maybe get a couple opinions to see who says what possibly?

Best of luck!

I have heard of unvented fireplaces making people sick with carbon monoxide symptoms. I have heard that they do have an 'odor' when running and to some it is overwhelming. They will set off carbon monoxide detectors and can give you carbon monoxide poisoning if not installed properly. I know a family that had one installed to supplement electric heat and it was installed wrong and almost killed them. I myself would stick with the vented unit and fix or replace it.

Do not get a vent-free unit. I have one and the smell is so bad that I can not use it. They told me the smell would go away eventually, it did not, it sets off the carbon monoxide alarm every time I put it on. I want to switch the box to a vented unit if I can.

We tried the vent-free unit from Lowes but as soon as we got it home we discovered how cheaply made it was. The logs are made of some type of styrofoam and several of them were cracked. We returned it without any problem.

The vent-free we finally bought was a Peterson vent-free unit from Hansenwholesale.com (http://www.hansenwholesale.com/gas-logs/ventless/).

It was about $1200 for a vent-free unit with standing pilot and remote control. Units without a remote are cheaper and those with pilot-less ignition (use less gas) are more expensive. You can pick and choose the options.

Our fireplace has a slightly less yellow flame than a vented unit and the flames are moderate (no big roaring fire look). We keep the flue open one notch and it has no odor and burns very well. I have a CO2 detector across the room from it and the detector never goes off. We are extremely happy with this fireplace, and it saved the cost of any work to repoint or reline the inside of the chimney before installing a vented unit.

Bruce

Fireplace surround ideas

Have you considered an electric option? No air pollution and cost-effective.