My thoughts are that they are illegal in New York City, which sucks.

I have an electric one, which makes me long for my Connecticut childhood and real logs, but is also toasty enough to make me forget it isn't real when it's freezing out.

What about San Francisco? Does anyone if it illegal or if a special permit is required?

They certainly "look" nice.
But, as a cautionary side note.....Ventless Gas Fireplaces have no place to put the H2O (water Vapor) that is a by-product of the combustion- as a result, Mold,Mildew can develop- as well as "Rust".

On, a certain fireplace that I installed Mild Steel (not Stainless) panels around, a careless Painter, chose to use a harsh solvent to remove his Paint splatter(ooops!) and removed my sealer along with the splatter, casuing the ventless fireplaces extra mositure to Oxidize the steel....
(double oops)

(THIS IS a B4)

Unvented fireplaces, along with unvented gas stoves/ovens, are supposedly bad for your health because they release carbon monoxide into the air. Doesn't it seem a little sketchy that gas boilers and water heaters have very strict venting regulations- why not gas stoves/ovens and fireplaces? However, in many places unvented gas fireplaces are illegal.

Here is typical info found when googled:
Several states within the United States, as well as other countries, have completely outlawed ventless gas fireplaces because of health concerns. Canada, Massachusetts, and California don't allow people to install these types of heaters because of their potential to build up carbon monoxide, deplete oxygen, and lead to unconsciousness or even suffocation. Check with your local building code before purchasing one of these appliances.

I just went through the Direct Vent VS Vent Less debate. I ended up returning my Vent Less for a Direct Vent.

Once I understood that the Vent Less releases Carbon Dioxide I didn't want it in my bedroom. It now vents out the roof.

I ended up with one of the Fireplaces from Menards that I had built into bookshelves so it looks built in. I'm actually really happy with it.

I don't think of the new gas fireplaces as fireplaces, any more than I think of a bunch of lit candles as fireplaces, but that said, I like them for what they are. What I really want is the gas fire thingie on Moonlight. . . .

We have one and love it. It comes equipped with an oxygen depletion sensor which shuts the unit off if carbon monoxide levels raise. It is stunning and hypnotic. But decide for yourself...we researched the risks and talked to our contractor, architect and heating contractor.

No place to put the water vapor??? Let's get real here people - its called the air. I empty a gallon of water into my loft every day using the humidifier.

I have opted for direct vent, but am having trouble finding someone to retrofit my chimney. I know it can happen, but no one seems to know enough for me to trust them. Any suggestions on a Chicago-area contactor?

I run a registered charity (not for profit) in the UK at www.co-gassafety.co.uk Does anyone know of any research into vent free fires? We are concerned that other toxins in gas could cause a build up of substances dangerous to health but has anyone any decent research on this undertaken by an independent body e.g. a university?
I would be most grateful if you could let me know by email at office@co-gassafety.co.uk

The way the manufacturers got past the Consumer Product Safety Commission with these lung-vented units is an ingenious device known as the Oxygen Depletion Sensor or ODS. The ODS sniffs the air on the way in and will prevent any gas from releasing to burn if the level is low. The sneaky thing about the way the gas burns in lung-vented units is the gobs of air they use.

So very little carbon monoxide is created. The problem is the other end of the combustion spectrum. Air is only about 20% oxygen; the rest is nitrogen. The oxides of nitrogen from combustion will eat unpainted sheetrock! They are not the kind of thing ya want in yer lungs, amigos.

In Canada, gas cook stoves have a ceramic/glass top which serves a catcher of fumes which are exhausted and fresh air is brought in to replace it. They have tighter houses because of colder winters and their indoor air quality is more critical. None of those fumes are good, but the moisture in the ventless exhaust grows mold, rots houses and doesn't do the human body much good in mant climates. Some places have outlawed them They don't sell like they once did, before the #&!t hit the fan in their wake.