Does A Direct Vent Fireplace Need A Chimney

Direct vent is a term used to describe a specifically designed fireplace that performs differently from the traditionally vented fireplace which use a chimney.

Does a direct vent fireplace need a chimney. The design of a direct vent fireplace does not require a chimney. A gas stove can be vented through an existing chimney whether it is a manufactured or masonry chimney. Direct vent fireplaces have a completely enclosed chamber that is extremely efficient drawing in air for combustion from the outside and expelling gases to the outside as well. A direct vent gas fireplace does not require a chimney and can vent horizontally out a sidewall or vertically through a roof.

Direct vent fireplaces work by taking in the air for combustion from the outside and expelling harmful and toxic gases into the outside as well. To ensure proper venting however a liner must first be installed in the chimney. The venting system of a direct vent fireplace consists of a double walled pipe or pipe within a pipe. As no fuel is burnt in an electric fireplace and there s no combustion you do not need to vent an electric fireplace.

The inner pipe provides venting to the outside while the outer pipe carries outside air into the fireplace. Unlike a ventless fireplace a direct vent fireplace doesn t need to take the oxygen or the heat. One of the benefits of this type of design is that it must draw air necessary for combustion from the outside since the sealed combustion chamber does not allow air to be drawn in from around the fireplace. The ventless fireplace without a chimney will expel carbon monoxide into the living space no matter how new the model is.

An electric fireplace does not have a real flame and so doesn t release any byproducts such as smoke and harmful gases.