Natural Gas Fireplaces

Either a Millivolt or an IPI unit will work.

In short, efficiency and aesthetics are the primary differences. To explain, direct vent fireplaces have a combustion chamber that will be sealed from the home with a solid pane of tempered or ceramic glass. These systems use special coaxial venting, which is basically a smaller pipe within a larger pipe. Once the fireplace burner is lit, all of the available oxygen inside of the combustion chamber is quickly depleted as combustion byproducts are exhausted via the inner pipe. Almost simultaneously, oxygen from the outdoors is drawn in through the larger, outer pipe to sustain combustion. Because this balanced combustion does not exchange any air with the living space, measured efficiency is possible. With B-vent systems, oxygen is drawn in from the home through the fireplace opening and much heat is simply lost to the outdoors, whereas, radiant heat is produced via the tempered or ceramic glass front with direct vent systems. Subsequently, B-vent fireplaces should only be considered for aesthetics and not efficient heating.

Vent free products are designed and manufactured only to burn the original fuel type they were configured for. The reason for this is due to the possibility of carbon monoxide or nitrogen dioxide being released into the room from an improperly converted vent free appliance. In the case of a vented appliance, these byproducts would be removed from the room, so there is no real danger. On the other hand, an improperly converted vent free appliance could have serious consequences. If you would like to consider replacing the entire set for your natural gas supply, our gas log calculator is a good resource to start with.