gas vent free heaters

**sinopa27** · 09-22-2011, 01:32 AM

I have a cold part to my home that is on the other side of the house. I was thinking about getting a gas heater, vent free, in that area. Anyone have one of those? If so, how do you like it? Pros? Cons?
I currently don't have any gas heat so it would have to completely installed. Maybe I can get some estimates.

**Russ** · 09-22-2011, 07:52 AM

Burning any gas WILL produce fumes, regardless of what you read. And if you do enough reading about the one you are considering, I bet you will find they recommend having a window slightly open.

You may also find that the fumes do not agree with you, but may not bother anyone else in your home.

**sinopa27** · 09-23-2011, 12:35 AM

Russ.......that defeats the purpose of heating an area and having to have a window slightly open. Why are these things so complicated??? My sister keeps her window open in her room all the time; all year long! I wonder if that would be sufficient? thanks for your input!

**lisaflex** · 09-23-2011, 06:40 AM

we have one on a porch (it is where the dog goes in the winter if she is not behaving properyl!! lol) we crack a window just to be on the safe side....it keeps the room nice and toasty and it is only a three season room....just keep in mind, not many places will service it..ie...none! we have a friend of a friend in the business who has stopped over to check it out. we have had this one for about 8 yrs and are going to replace it just to be on the safe side....

**Russ** · 09-23-2011, 07:01 AM

I know! It does seem counter productive to crack a window.

How often do you use that area of the home?
If you just need something to take the chill off, I would suggest just a simple electric heater such as this one. [ame="http://www.amazon.com/Lasko-Oscillating-Ceramic-Heater-5367/dp/B000TK9TLM/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&qid=1316775526&sr=8-7"]Amazon.com: Lasko Oscillating Ceramic Tower Heater, 5367: Home & Garden@@AMEPARAM@@http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41qiIKYTbHL.@@AMEPARAM@@41qiIKYTbHL[/ame]

Think about how much a vent free heater would cost, then think about how long you could run that electric heater for that much money.

**Spirit Deer** · 09-23-2011, 08:40 AM

Vent-free gas heaters are tempting because of the relative ease of installation. We did a lot of research on this topic a few years ago when we were remodeling our living room and wanted to add one to the addition. We weren't encouraged by what we found.

Once we had researched online, we started visiting brick and mortar stores and talking to lots of people who sell and service gas heaters. As you can imagine, that's a lot of people up here where there is real winter every year. Every single one of them told us not to install a ventless heater. That included our local gas company where we've done business for over twenty years. None of them even sold them, because they all felt they were unsafe, or at least not as safe as a vented gas stove. We ended up buying a beautiful floor demo vented stove by Quadra Fire, deeply discounted of course.

Check with your insurance agent and get an opinion there, too.

Whatever gas appliance you decide on, be sure to install a CO detector along with it.

You might want to consider an electric heating stove if your rates are reasonable. You would have to install a 220 volt circuit for it, but after that there wouldn't be much for maintenance, and there would be no fumes to worry about. Some of them look very realistic and many models are beautiful and decorative as well as functional.

It's been our experience that portable plug-in electric heaters don't do much good unless the area is very small and it's not that cold.

**homemaker66** · 09-24-2011, 07:07 AM

We have a heater and we have no problems with it. There is no smell and we have a CO tester right beside it and the tester has never gone off nor have we opened the window. We like it for the chilly nights. We have it checked every year before we start it for the season. I also like it because if the power ever goes out we will have heat.

**sinopa27** · 09-28-2011, 03:36 AM

Originally Posted by Russ

I know! It does seem counter productive to crack a window.

How often do you use that area of the home?
If you just need something to take the chill off, I would suggest just a simple electric heater such as this one. Amazon.com: Lasko Oscillating Ceramic Tower Heater, 5367: Home & Garden

Think about how much a vent free heater would cost, then think about how long you could run that electric heater for that much money.

I actually have that heater in that area. It is used all the time since 3 bedrooms are back there. It gets so cold. I wanted something that can warm up the area in the mornings while my daughter gets dressed.

**sinopa27** · 09-28-2011, 03:38 AM

Originally Posted by homemaker66

We have a heater and we have no problems with it. There is no smell and we have a CO tester right beside it and the tester has never gone off nor have we opened the window. We like it for the chilly nights. We have it checked every year before we start it for the season. I also like it because if the power ever goes out we will have heat.

that is what I was hoping to achieve. A backup if the power goes out. Where I live in the mountains, the power goes out with inclement weather.

**sinopa27** · 09-28-2011, 03:41 AM

Originally Posted by Spirit Deer

Vent-free gas heaters are tempting because of the relative ease of installation. We did a lot of research on this topic a few years ago when we were remodeling our living room and wanted to add one to the addition. We weren't encouraged by what we found.

Once we had researched online, we started visiting brick and mortar stores and talking to lots of people who sell and service gas heaters. As you can imagine, that's a lot of people up here where there is real winter every year. Every single one of them told us not to install a ventless heater. That included our local gas company where we've done business for over twenty years. None of them even sold them, because they all felt they were unsafe, or at least not as safe as a vented gas stove. We ended up buying a beautiful floor demo vented stove by Quadra Fire, deeply discounted of course.

Check with your insurance agent and get an opinion there, too.

Whatever gas appliance you decide on, be sure to install a CO detector along with it.

You might want to consider an electric heating stove if your rates are reasonable. You would have to install a 220 volt circuit for it, but after that there wouldn't be much for maintenance, and there would be no fumes to worry about. Some of them look very realistic and many models are beautiful and decorative as well as functional.

It's been our experience that portable plug-in electric heaters don't do much good unless the area is very small and it's not that cold.

I, too, shall be doing some research. I will talk to a lot of people and companies. Thank you for your help!! I really don't want to have an electric heater because of the expense. Plus, the power goes out and I was looking for a back up.

**Spirit Deer** · 09-28-2011, 12:14 PM

I can see where an electric heater wouldn't solve all your problems.

I don't know how cold you're talking about, but I can tell you it takes a long time to heat up a room that's already fairly cold. Your best bet is to have a heating unit you can run all the time to maintain the temp, not try to heat it up for short periods. I have an undersized gas wall furnace in my office, and it takes forever to warm anything up. If I'm working out here and it's below zero, I start having computer problems because it's so cold inside the furnace can't keep up and my computer isn't happy about it, plus I'm sitting here with a blanket over me, mukluks on my feet, fingerless mitts on my hands, and still freezing. Not fun. There's no way it would make a dent in the cold if it wasn't at least fifty or sixty to start with. Be sure you get a heater big enough to handle the space it's for. Ours was never intended to heat this much area but it works okay for all but a few days per year, so we don't really want to replace it.

Also keep in mind not all gas heating stoves can be used without power. They have thermostats which require power to operate. Some can bypass the thermostat for manual control when there's a power outage, and some can't.

If your space would allow for the stove to be placed on an outside wall, then you could vent it out through the wall, which is generally easier and cheaper than venting it out through the roof. Our wall furnace goes through the wall to the outside and works well.

It doesn't matter what type of gas appliance you end up with, be sure to install a CO detector, preferably one that plugs into the wall and has battery back-up in case of power failures. All gas appliances give off poisonous gases (which is why it's best if they're vented to the outside and why the owner's manuals tell you to crack a window if the stove isn't vented) and the detector is a very important safety device.