Radford Chimney Works
1318 W. Main Street, Radford, VA  24141
Phone 540-639-6155  Fax-540-639-6156     
Toll Free 1-877-260-6022

 

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Last updated November 9, 2006

Vent Free Product Information

Thinking about purchasing a Vent Free Product?

WARNING: CARBON MONOXIDE POISONING MAY LEAD TO DEATH

When used without fresh air, gas logs sets may give off carbon monoxide, an colorless, poisonous gas. Some people, pregnant women, persons with heart or lung disease, anemia, or under the influence of alcohol and persons at high altitudes are more affected by carbon monoxide than others. Early signs of carbon monoxide poisoning resemble the flu: Headache, dizziness, and/or nausea. If you have these signs, the gas log may not be installed or working properly, or the chimney flue may be blocked.

GET FRESH AIR AT ONCE!

Have gas log set and chimney flue serviced before using again.

OPEN A WINDOW AN INCH OR TWO FOR ADEQUATE COMBUSTION AND VENTILATION AIR WHEN USING YOUR VENT FREE GAS LOG ROOM HEATERS

  

Excerpt from an actual Vent-Free Owners Manual (Rasmussen "Chill buster I")

A lot of the Vent -Free appliances that are out there can be very misleading. They may make you believe that they do not need to be vented but in all reality they do vent through a window. Doesn't this defeat the purpose of an "unvented" gas appliance? Instead of harmful carbon monoxide and other pollutants going straight cut through a chimney, they are coming into the home and hopefully out a window.

The Production of a Perfectly Operating Vent-Free Appliance Is: 

60% WATER VAPOR Perhaps the biggest problem vent-frees cause are excessive moisture--just too much water. An average 
family of 4 generates about 2.9 gallons of water in the home through showering, cooking, breathing, etc. Codes require ventilation in a 
bathroom to remove these water vapors. A 40,000 btu vent-free heater used all day produces over 6 gallons of water a day which can
 penetrate walls, flooring, furniture, etc. This can decay the structure of your home, cause mold and mildew which irritates allergies 
and asthma. In extremely cold conditions, the water vapor can remain trapped near the roof of the house and freeze, continually
 collecting and freezing. As the weather warms, a home can literally become flooded with water. 

39+% CARBON DIOXIDE At low levels, carbon dioxide is not thought to be dangerous. At moderately high 
concentrations carbon dioxide causes discomfort, raising the breathing rate and may cause minor eye irritation, particularly 
in people who wear contact lenses.

.1% is CARBON MONOXIDE At this level, carbon monoxide may not be dangerous to healthy 
people but can adversely affect pregnant women, fetuses, 
babies and people with heart or lung problems.

Minute % is Nitrogen Dioxide which can hamper the immune system and increase 
susceptibility to respiratory infections.

Thanks to Duke Chimney Services for contribution of this article based upon a story that first appeared in Popular Mechanics Magazine.*

Vent-Free Appliances really should not be installed if:

Anyone in the house is pregnant, diabetic, anemic or suffers from heart or respiratory problems

Cannot be used as a sole or main source of heat

Cannot normally be installed in a bedroom or bathroom

Cannot be installed in a "confined space" where fumes may not be properly dispersed

Should not be installed if the fireplace or chimney is in disrepair

Vented appliances address all these common home issues. Wouldn't you really rather vent those fumes OUT of your home through a chimney or vent?

At Radford Chimney Works we are extremely concerned not only about our customers satisfaction of our products, but most importantly of the safety while operating them.  In our opinion the dangers of using vent-free appliances are just too great!  We do not feel safe having one on display here at our showroom and if we are not comfortable with using a product we most definitely do not wish to put our customers in the same discomfort in their home.