I just bought a property and it has a passthrough, ventless fireplace that runs on propane.
I've not hooked up propane to the house, and the natural gas company says they'll hook me up for free. However, the fireplace is currently configured to run off of propane.
I tired to call the manufacturer, but they wont talk to me and told me to call a dealership, which I did. They say it's impossible, and I'll have to buy a new log set, and since it's a double sided log set, they start at a price that's way above my budget.
However, all the log sets they sell can come configured as either propane or natural gas, and my research indicates that all I have to do to convert it is to replace the regulator and the orifices with ones designed for natural gas.
Is my research correct, or is the dealer correct?
This log set has been discontinued recently (it's less than six years old), where can I find the parts I need, and which parts do I need?
Best Answer
The short answer is all you need is a new orifice.
The complicated answer is : don't do that. Ventless systems have been banned in various places, and come with significant hazards not fully mitigated by a carbon monoxide detector. Read for instance : http://www.energyvanguard.com/blog-building-science-HERS-BPI/bid/48762/Bob-Vila-and-the-Vent-Free-Gas-Fireplace-A-Sorry-State-of-Affairs
A choice quote: "After doing research, we decided we would never put a vent-free (room vented) appliance into our home. Because of this decision, we didn't believe it would be right to sell them to our customers."
I would suggest asking a different question "how can I vent this ventless gas log set?". You could also calculate the number of heating days : if this is just decoration perhaps it's cheaper to just run it on propane until it dies.