lotstodo
aka "The Jackal"
We have vent free, propane gas logs installed in the fireplace at our cabin because there are frequent power outages in the winter where we are. There was a faint odor of propane when I turned them on a couple of weeks ago, so I had them checked out. There was just a fitting that needed to be tightened slightly, but the serviceman filled me in on some things.
First of all, he said that my logs were a little over-sized for the room. He said that if you take the cubic feet of the room and multiply by 20, that is the maximum BTU that your logs should put out. That should be somewhat mitigated in my case, however because the logs in my cabin are variable output, operate from a thermostat, and will probably rarely if ever be on high.
Another consideration for mountain homes is that natural gas logs are not recommended for elevations above 2000 feet, and propane logs are not recommended for elevations above 2500 feet. So if you live way up there, you will be just as well off with conventional logs that require the flue to be open and a window to be cracked.
I also have glass doors left over from when the fireplace burned wood, and he strongly recommended removing them, because the logs could overheat causing the glass to break, or the logs to malfunction if they are operated with the glass doors closed. He said that this could even happen with the flue open and the fresh air intake open.
He said that operating the logs with the flue open even just a little bit is unnecessary, and can cut efficiency from half to 80 percent. Vent free logs are extremely efficient, and equipped with both an oxygen depletion sensor and a carbon monoxide sensor so they will shut off before any danger. He did recommend a plug in Carbon Monoxide sensor within 10 feet of the fireplace as a back-up, and that if we were concerned, cracking a window would be better than opening the flue from an efficiency standpoint. He also said that manufacturers don't recommend sleeping with the logs burning, even on a thermostat.
Well there it is, certainly more than you wanted to know about gas logs and didn't really want to ask.
First of all, he said that my logs were a little over-sized for the room. He said that if you take the cubic feet of the room and multiply by 20, that is the maximum BTU that your logs should put out. That should be somewhat mitigated in my case, however because the logs in my cabin are variable output, operate from a thermostat, and will probably rarely if ever be on high.
Another consideration for mountain homes is that natural gas logs are not recommended for elevations above 2000 feet, and propane logs are not recommended for elevations above 2500 feet. So if you live way up there, you will be just as well off with conventional logs that require the flue to be open and a window to be cracked.
I also have glass doors left over from when the fireplace burned wood, and he strongly recommended removing them, because the logs could overheat causing the glass to break, or the logs to malfunction if they are operated with the glass doors closed. He said that this could even happen with the flue open and the fresh air intake open.
He said that operating the logs with the flue open even just a little bit is unnecessary, and can cut efficiency from half to 80 percent. Vent free logs are extremely efficient, and equipped with both an oxygen depletion sensor and a carbon monoxide sensor so they will shut off before any danger. He did recommend a plug in Carbon Monoxide sensor within 10 feet of the fireplace as a back-up, and that if we were concerned, cracking a window would be better than opening the flue from an efficiency standpoint. He also said that manufacturers don't recommend sleeping with the logs burning, even on a thermostat.
Well there it is, certainly more than you wanted to know about gas logs and didn't really want to ask.
