Gas fireplace with heating that can work without electricity

Jan 06, 2017 11 Replies

I am planning my home remodeling. I have a gas fireplace that is only for looks and produces barely any heat and wastes a lot of gas.



I would like to have a fireplace that can effectively heat the house.



The catch is that I want one that is able to work with and without electric blowers, perhaps at reduced efficiency if the blower is not running.



The reason, somewhat obvious, is that I want to have emergency heat when there is no electricity.



Is there anything of the sort.



Thanks


There were floor furnaces that worked like that years ago. No fan, though. The thermostat worked off the furnace itself somehow.

On Fri, 06 Jan 2017 08:53:52 -0600, Ignoramus28406 wrote in

Take a look at these.

formatting link

Add a small floor fan if you want to move more heat.

formatting link

Never saw a with/without but that does not mean they don't exist. Getting something not dependent on electric is smart. My son has a free standing stove in his house. You can find one that sits in the fireplace opening.

Some heat is always better than no heat. Biggest hurdle is circulating it through the house with no fans.

Aside from the blower, he needs to find one where it can be lit without electricity. IDK all what's available, but a lot of them now are electric ignition, gas valve, etc.

Heatilator is one major suppliers of fireplaces meant for heating.

We heat with wood , but for insurance purposes I have installed an unvented gas heater - the kind that has those ceramic plates and produces radiant heat rather than a blue flame unit . It has a piezo igniter for the pilot , is thermostat controlled , and needs nothing but a gas supply . I'm pretty sure they make one that can be installed in your fireplace opening . This one could be , it hangs on the wall . You don't say if yours is vented or not , but most of those gas log devices aren't .

How is that floor fan going to work if he has no electricity?

I had a Desa International direct-vent through-the-wall natural gas fireplace installed that does not require AC power. Unfortunately the company went out of business 9 years ago so I can't give you a working link.

If it pukes beyond repair, I'll probably replace it with a Regency.

formatting link

[snip]

I remember some in-wall heaters like that in an apartment I lived in about 1967. The thermostat gets a LITTLE power from a thermocouple (one end in the flame, and the other not).

I have a very old gas fireplace (apparently built to burn wood, but with gas logs in it). This is very simple, with NO thermostat and NO electricity. It's probably not a very efficient heater, but will heat the whole house if given time. I used it that way one night in 1999, when we had a power outage because on an ice storm.

[snip]

Something like my new water heater, which has push-button piezo ignition. No electrical connection.

If it puts out enough current to operate a gas valve it is more likely to be a thermopile . Often used as a current/voltage source with floor furnaces .

I understand that with any sort of heating of this nature, I cannot expect a perfect climate in every corner of the house. I just want to keep the house warm enough to live in and avoid pipes freezing. I do not want anything "ventless" because of too many problems, moisture and bad air.

i

Join the Discussion

Have something to add? Share your thoughts — no account required.

Didn't find your answer?

Ask the community — no account required