Is it possible to have a fireplace without chimney? Are you considering a fireplace installation? We look at if a chimney is required for a fireplace.
Do You Need a Chimney to Have a Fireplace?
Fireplaces and log burners are a great feature for any living room or room in a household or property. They add a homely, cosy element and provide an excellent centrepiece that is a tremendous structural starting point for those decorating new builds or searching for the perfect focal point for a particularly bare room.
Several modern properties have advanced a long way in the last few decades, especially when finding the perfect solutions for staying warm throughout the year into the heating seasons, like autumn and winter. However, one of the factors contemporary homes lack is an existing chimney and chimney roof, as we have uncovered a vast number of ways to provide a high heat temperature inside our homes without them
In the UK, chimneys began to phase out of the typical household construction in 1956, when the Clean Air Act was introduced.
Chimneys have not disappeared and are still included in some new houses, usually by request.
The Clean Air Act would rid the majority of chimneys to keep household prices far more cost-effective and affordable, alongside being the more environmentally-friendly option.
Chimney fireplaces have many pros and cons, yet more cons than pros.
If neglected without proper maintenance, your hearth, ceiling and chimney, or flue liner space would be coated with dust, ash or a tar-like substance that can become incredibly dangerous to flammable objects and the structure of your home.
However, whilst the traditional brick chimney fireplace had dwindled away, the desire for a roaring, toasty warm fire stayed, even into the present, to the extent that a fireplace inside the home can now increase the value of your property.
So, the question persists; do you need a chimney to have an inside fireplace? The answer, you'll be happy to know, is no.
There are plenty of options we recommend if you desire a chimney-less fireplace.
Some of the following options include:
Electric Fireplaces: They are virtually effortless to install yourself with tools from a local hardware store or with the help of a professional. Its drawbacks involve its higher running costs and lack of real flame.
Balanced Flue Fireplaces: It takes a little more building work to set up in your home, especially if it's a twin wall flue system, as it utilises connectable stainless steel pipes. However, it offers a stunning real flame, low running costs and dozens of style options to choose from.
Flueless Gas Fires: They are less building work and are highly efficient, providing incredible real flames. It is paramount to ensure a carbon monoxide alarm is installed for any gas appliances in your home to prevent carbon monoxide poisoning. Ensure you stay at a safe distance whilst these kinds of fires are being handled by professionals.
Types Of Chimney-Free Fireplaces
When researching the right new fireplace for you, we encourage you to search through all the variants of chimney-free fires. There are so many options that will provide beautiful, realistic flames in both traditional and contemporary styles for you to enjoy in your home.
Electric fireplaces are one of the first options you will run into if you're hunting for a chimney-free fireplace. All-electric fires run on the main electricity supply in any property or household; they don't require any immediate source of ventilation such as a chimney or flue and can be installed anywhere around a specific room size or home with a plug socket
With any electric fire, expect yourself or a professional to carry out some minor building work during the fitting stage; for example, some structural work or drilling may be necessary to create or insert an electric fire into a cavity.
Installing an electric fireplace inside is still straightforward for those with chimneys that aren't used throughout your property or home, as long as you or your professionals block off the chimney to create a false chimney breast.
Doing so will prevent the draught from taking the heat out of your room. You can opt for electric fires in various styles, including contemporary, traditional and external wall-mounted fire features. Your options are so extensive that there'll never be any need for a chimney or wood-burner installation.
You can install fireplaces in your home that utilise water vapour and, therefore, don't require using a chimney or flue to work successfully. These are curated with the help of three specific components, including various air pressures, ultra-fine water vapour and coloured LED lighting. The lighting allows you to achieve an orange-yellow coloured flame that adds massively to its realism.
Ultrasounds are produced using a transducer or mist maker. These create mechanical waves that inaudibly vibrate the water to churn-out ultra-fine water vapour that can be propelled in various ways without specially adapted AFIRE Patents or convection heating.
The water vapour then successfully dissipates into the air and is illuminated by the LEDs to create stunning flames. Water vapour isn't condensed, meaning it does not produce layers or spots of moisture on the adjacent walls, so it can sometimes be referred to as dry water vapour.
Such technical systems can offer cold flames that are incredibly realistic and difficult to tell apart the flames from wood-burning stoves. However, whilst the flames are cold, bioethanol fireplaces can successfully produce 3kWh of primary heat source whilst your fuel box is open.
For those searching to upgrade their current fireplaces for a more straightforward home heating solution or aesthetic purposes, have no fear; there is a broad range of contemporary styles to select from. At many of your local fireplace installation and restoration stores, they are likely to sell bioethanol fuel fireplaces that are beautiful and modern.
Bioethanol is a clear fluid you can supply in litre bottles and squeeze into your fireplace using a stainless steel fuel box. Its fuel source is smoke-free and clean-burning, meaning it can provide a seamless, elegant design and installation without the need for a chimney.
Ventless fireplaces, colloquially known as "Vent-free" or "Unvented" fires, are a form of fireplace that utilises propane or natural gas through metal pipes into a solid gas-burning unit. Its flames pass through the gaps made in the ceramic fibre logs, all while producing far fewer fumes than various other models, meaning they don't need a warm flue or chimney to work correctly.
Professionals in the field have skillfully designed many ventless gas fireplaces to ensure it burns gas more effectively than vented fires. They are often connected to a direct propane or gas line, and it's best to have a professional install it for you, whether a plumber, electrician or fireplace installer.
When dealing with gas appliances, you must ensure a gas safe or HETAS registered engineer handles the installation. These fires have been built so that gas is burnt cleanly, leaving no exhaust behind in the process, much like how gas stoves in your kitchen operate. There are often gas units that use control panels that conduct the flames and pilot light of your system.
Its unit utilises artificial logs that are non-combustible and have holes that enable the flames to pass through, creating flickering shapes that offer a cosy atmosphere.
The ventless fireplace performs in more of a U-shaped path. Oxygen from the room is taken into the fireplace and exits out of the bottom. Its regulator begins mixing the room's air with gas which, in turn, produces the flames of the fire.
Gel fuel fireplaces aren't as commonly known; however, they typically run on a special alcohol-based gel fuel and are completely smokeless. They are available to property and homeowners in a wide range of sizes and shapes, which you can utilise indoors and outdoors to provide different atmospheres and enhance different areas of your household.
Gel fuel is generally created using an organic material known as isopropyl and is also a component of rubbing alcohol. It is used widely in these fireplaces to create an impressive crackling flame that appears like a real burning wood fireplace.
One of the most notable advantages of gel fireplaces is that they do not require a chimney or vent to function, meaning they can be placed liberally in the home, and they come in a broad range of styles to offer immense creativity.
Choosing the Chimney-less Options
Upon hearing about the vent and ventless fireplaces, it's up to you to decide which would be most suitable for you and your home.
Many learn the differences between the two, and the choice becomes pretty obvious; however, each home is different, and the structure of your home could mean you consider plenty of factors you usually wouldn't.
There are many reasons why direct vent fireplaces work and ventless ones wouldn't when looking at particular rooms.
One essential aspect you must remember when comparing fireplaces, other than their prices, is whether or not they are ventless, direct vent, natural vent or traditional.
Once you've uncovered this information, you can begin learning how best to operate that system and the maintenance it requires to ensure it functions properly and safely to protect your home and those living in it.
To conclude, you can undoubtedly opt for fireplaces that do not require a chimney to function, as many options on the market come in different venting styles, making your opportunities endless.
Numerous fireplace and chimney care companies can provide customers across the UK with durable, high-performance fireplaces that are ventless and last for years and years.
Contact your local fireplace care and restoration professionals for a complete installation, cleaning and chimney inspections from qualified individuals. Call today, and specialists can discuss with you more about which chimneyless fireplace would be best for your home.
Do you have a period fireplace which needs repair or restoration? If you live in the Hastings and East Sussex area, our expert antique fireplace restoration services can help.