Vent-Free Gas Log Heater

Vent-Free Gas Log Heater Installation

When dealing with natural gas powered appliances and units such as this, follow all instructions that come with the unit. I'm not going to go into all the details so please don't view this as a comprehensive guide to installation. Blow your house up at your own risk!

I decided to get a vent free gas log heater for my fireplace. I actually have two fireplaces with gas starters running to both of them. One fireplace is located in my basement which is always freezing. I thought a vent free gas log unit may be a good solution to heating the basement and maybe some of the rest of the house. One of my furnace intake vents draws air from the room in the basement where the fireplace is located as well. So I can just turn the fan on to my furnace and circulate the warm air throughout the house. Here's a shot of the basement fireplace. You can see the gas starter that was already installed. Apparently the previous owner burned a heck of a lot of wood as you can see the creosote covering the inside of the fireplace.

Vent-Free Gas Log Heater Installation

Here's a photo of the gas starter. I was told that this is galvanized pipe and should not be used with natural gas. I believe the installer told me that black iron pipe was required. Although today, other types of piping are used for natural gas lines.

My first quote for installation of gas log unit was $169 with the heater running between $400-$800 depending upon the model I chose. This seemed a bit outrageous so I called someone else. I initially bought a unit from Home Depot for $159. The second installer told me that I wouldn't be happy with it because it did not have a thermostat which would adjust the flame from high to low to off as it reached a certain temperature. This seemed like good advice so I bought a unit from him for $180 and he installed it for $50 plus $15 in parts.

Vent-Free Gas Log Heater Installation

We left this as is but we believe that this is a water shut-off valve that is controlling the flow of gas. I will probably have to get this replaced with a proper gas shut off valve. We tested for leaks and, after tightening it, eliminated any leaks. This was probably a "fix" provided by the previous owner of the house. Maybe I can exhume him and kick his dead ass a few times for his great home repair decisions.

Vent-Free Gas Log Heater Installation

Nothing a little hacksaw and elbow grease couldn't fix. Here we sawed off the old gas starter and prepared it for hook up.

Vent-Free Gas Log Heater Installation

I didn't document all the steps so follow your installation guide if you are hooking up your own. Generally, installation must be performed by a qualified installer, service agency or the gas supplier. Here's the final shot of the working vent free gas log heater. This one cranks out between 18,000 and 30,000 BTU's. The installer claimed it would heat my entire house. I'll report more after I've spent some time with it, but so far it's cranking out the heat. These units are 99.9% efficient so compare that to your 80% efficiency furnace. In my old house, I get plenty of ventilation. If you have a new construction home that is extremely weather-tight, you may have to provide outside air for combustion and ventilation.