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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?

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    I found an online dealership selling parts for the fireplace, and it looks like the fireplace has a separate set of parts for natural gas, and propane. I just need to figure out which parts to buy.
    – Malfist
    Dec 13, 2012 at 19:13
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    Well that sounds promising: you know that 1) your model was available for natural gas, and 2) there's a dealership that still stocks parts for it. Why don't you email them directly and ask them?
    – Hank
    Dec 13, 2012 at 19:28
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    As you are using an unvented gas appliance I would invest in a carbon monoxide detector.
    – mikes
    Dec 14, 2012 at 1:01
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    You might ask your gas company. They may be able to refer you to someone, or possibly do the conversion themselves.
    – TomG
    Dec 16, 2012 at 2:58
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    You need to post vendor & model to have a hope of an answer to 'which parts do I need'? A photo would help a lot also, in terms of advice.
    – Bryce
    Dec 12, 2013 at 19:10

3 Answers 3

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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.

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I did some research on the same topic. Basically I was told that physically it can be done, but it is highly illegal. Something to do with the factory labeling on the fireplace would then be inaccurate. As for me, lacking the technical information I need to convert and the fact this fireplace will emit co2, I'm going to follow the safer path.

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  • CO2 (carbon dioxide) is not a problem: animals and plants produce it. CO (carbon monoxide) is toxic, but a properly operating gas burner does not emit dangerous quantities. Ventless fireplaces are legal in some jurisdictions, but yes, Canada and Australia have banned them.
    – wallyk
    Jan 11, 2017 at 3:05
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Charmglow branded stoves and fireplaces are fixed to only be able to use the fuel set at the factory. You could probably take the regulator assembly in to a shop that could fit it for a change with a different orifice, but you best check local codes to make sure it's then tagged appropriately for the change. Some newer Gas Stoves and Appliances are switchable on the appliance. Which indicates which fuel is being used by them! ....then you simply use whichever fuel it's switched for.

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  • Hello, and welcome to Stack Exchange. I've remove a lot of irrelevant material from your answer; please only include what actually answers the original question.
    – Daniel Griscom
    Nov 23, 2017 at 3:45
  • @Daniel Griscom Well I guess my 30+ yrs experience in gas hook ups is not needed here. So I'll not bother commenting on Stack Exchange so you can furnish all the answers and not have to edit most of my comments out anyway! Thanks.... for nothing! Bye! :D
    – user78057
    Nov 24, 2017 at 18:35

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