Ot gas fireplace inserts

[Mikej]

Thinking of (wife is) getting a ventless gas fireplace insert- any advice? I have no fireplace at the moment. Prices seem anywhere from reasonable to outrageous. But wonder mainly about different features and install quirks.

[don'TreadOnMe]

I'm a huge fan of fireplace inserts.
Our current house's fireplace needed $10,000 worth of work to be usable, so we opted to get a wood burning insert instead.
3 years on, it's still fantastic (this http://www.hearthstonestoves.com/store/wood-products/wood-inserts/clydesdale-wood-insert )

Granted, it's not gas, and I'm not sure if you're placing it in an existing fireplace (you mentioned ventless...), so your mileage varies...
Hope nobody minds the additional data point.

[Mikej]

I'm a huge fan of fireplace inserts.
Our current house's fireplace needed $10,000 worth of work to be usable, so we opted to get a wood burning insert instead.
3 years on, it's still fantastic (this http://www.hearthstonestoves.com/store/wood-products/wood-inserts/clydesdale-wood-insert )

Granted, it's not gas, and I'm not sure if you're placing it in an existing fireplace (you mentioned ventless...), so your mileage varies...
Hope nobody minds the additional data point.

Correct, we have no fireplace. Ventless is not a deal breaker, but burning wood maybe.

[Louis]

When I bought my current house they had some gas logs in what used to be a wood-burning fireplace. I don't know if they were officially ventless or not. I figured I was loosing lots of heat out the chimney, so I got a "real" gas stove instead.

Also, I didn't like the idea of ventless, and having all the combustion by-products dumped into the house, so I got a Jotl Sebago. (The pic's not mine, just a pic off the web) Both the intake and the exhaust air come in through what looks like a single pipe, but is actually two, with the intake in a center pipe, and the exhaust around it.

Edit: another neat thing with these is that you can control them with a wireless thermostat, which turns them on and off as required. When it's below around 40* I use the gas stove to supplement my regular furnace.

http://www.inglenookenergy.com/Stoves/Gas_Freestanding/Jotul_Sebago/jotul_sebagoLg.jpg

[Davist]

What Louis says above.. We have an old grist mill and had a 6' x 4' opening, put a gas stove in there, with the coaxial pipe (no inside air used) and the blower kit (moves the room air around the stove) with great results. The brand is called Avalon, looks just like the photo above..

[alessandro]

Mikej, what part of the country do you live in? IOW, is this fireplace for heat, or just for fun? If you're in a warmer latitude then the ventless type might make sense. The house we bought in Vermont had a wood stove and a gas fireplace, in different rooms, and we use them both. The gas fireplace is a direct-vent type.

Why is your wife interested in ventless? Take a look at these drawings for a nice explanation of direct-vent vs. ventless:
http://www.thisoldhouse.com/toh/photos/0,,20431996_20859246,00.html
http://www.thisoldhouse.com/toh/photos/0,,20431996_20859250,00.html

The part about ventless being banned in California and some cities would be a deal-breaker for me.

[peanutgallery]

Avoid ventless, just because its legal in some places....

[Mikej]

Mikej, what part of the country do you live in? IOW, is this fireplace for heat, or just for fun? If you're in a warmer latitude then the ventless type might make sense. The house we bought in Vermont had a wood stove and a gas fireplace, in different rooms, and we use them both. The gas fireplace is a direct-vent type.

Why is your wife interested in ventless? Take a look at these drawings for a nice explanation of direct-vent vs. ventless:
http://www.thisoldhouse.com/toh/photos/0,,20431996_20859246,00.html
http://www.thisoldhouse.com/toh/photos/0,,20431996_20859250,00.html
I'm In Wisconsin- heat and fun. I guess I thought ventless since we have no current fire place, but it seems like vented is the way to go.

The part about ventless being banned in California and some cities would be a deal-breaker for me.

Wisconsin- we have no fireplace or chimney so ventless seemed easiest, it appears we would now like vented. This will be for fun, cuz I'm already always hot....

[parris]

About 10 years ago we replaced a wood stove with a gas model. In our case the installer ran a liner inside the flu pipe that takes care of combustion and exaust air. Thebrand we went with is Lopi and I don't remember the model but its still in the line. One thing I'm kicking myself for not getting at the time is the blower kit as it would move the air a bit better.

Parris

[Ken Robb]

I've had a few fireplaces with gas and real logs. They are really about the aesthetics/romance of an open fire. Even though more sophisticated designs are more efficient than classic fireplaces they can't compete with central heat for efficiency. For me, anything other than real wood burning in an open hearth is neither efficient heating or aesthetic beauty. I walled up my gas-log fireplace when we remodeled to get more wall space for book shelves. :)

[fogrider]

this one is really slick! https://www.sparkfires.com/ventfree/

we just specified a 6 footer on a project.

[Mattbotak]

I use a pellet insert which imreally like and very cheap to run.

[don'TreadOnMe]

I use a pellet insert which imreally like and very cheap to run.

Right there w/you, we have a pellet stove downstairs (Avalon). It kicks booty.
So yeah, wood up, pellets down, they're both great for us.
The central system in our house is propane, so the extra heating sources end up saving us a lot of $ over the winter.