...if your still around, how did you vent free set work out? We just went thru what you did. They tried to sell us and insert which does have the benefit of not dumping moisture in the home. Still we just wanted a pretty flame to look at a few times a week with out the mess and smell of wood. $450 vs $3000. We almost got a vented set but leaving the damper open on a vented log set seemed as though I'd either be letting hot air out or cold air in. We just ordered a vent free set. It says in the manual that it CAN be operated as a vented set by opening the damper. This works for me! We might not get as big a flame as with the vented but I can close my damper when not in use and if my power ever fails I'll have some backup heat. We, like you, may even try leaving the damper partially closed to let a little heat in. I would think if moisture was going to be an issue it would be apparent. We do have an open floor plan as well. So if you out there, how did you make out---any problems, smeels, allergies etc.? PS Someone mentioned eyes watering after the unit runs 4+ hours. Is this appicable to vent free units only or any type of fire. I never heard this before. If applicable to vent free only...why would this occur? I doubt we'd ever use the thing more than an hour or two at a time.

I wish someone would answer you, I was going to post something similar myself. We have a contract on a home and I had the chimney inspected today (realtor says I'm the only person in her entire career to have a chimney inspection, but you'll see why) Inspector told me the flue tiles needed to be replaced and the to reline a chimney was about $4K-$5K or could have the tiles that needed to be repaired which iwas about half that price - he wasn't positive on pricing as he does not do this type of work. He actually called me back and the low end pricing from the company gave him a guesstimate of $1500-$2500 depending on what I decided to actually have done. Originally, this was a wood burning chimney and now is gas. I know there was an issue with the damper not opening correctly and was having the owners clean it out before the inspection. Due to the issue above, he didn't do the cleaning - not until we decided what to do about the flue issue. Anyhow, I'm not putting out any more money on the home, it would be the owners who'd have to repair. My realtor called me back a little while later and said the listing agent spoke to the owners and came up with what they think would be a solution - a vent free gas fireplace. Since I'm a Floridian who's never had a fireplace in her life, I know nothing about any of this. I'm trying to find out if what they are proposing, how it differs from the gas fireplace that's there already. Will what they put in look the same as what's there now? They claim it's more energy efficient. I'm glad you are asking the questions you did above because I wouldn't have known to ask them, so I really hope someone knowledgable will answer. In the meantime, I was given the name of a guy who does gas fireplaces for a living. Will try to reach him and if I can , ask those questions and let you know what I may be able to find. If I go with the ventless, I'm still having them clean out the damper. With it not opening all the way, that means cool air is still coming in, and in summer, cool are is going out. Please let me know if you came across any info. THANKS!!!

A vent-free gas logs system is generally not a good idea and is actually disallowed in the building codes in many municipalities. It can cause a depletion of oxygen and a build-up of fumes. So the indoor air quality and your health and safety will be adversely affected. If your fireplace cannot produce a satisfactory updraft when you burn wood, that suggests that it was not properly designed. Since your primary interest is in appearance, not heat, perhaps you should consider an electric insert. That would get around the safety and health risk associated with gas ventless systems. See Consumer Reports for a 2-3 page information about gas fireplaces.

I don't think you can buy based on BTU alone. What you can use depends on the size of the fireplace and the venting.