Should You Have a Flueless Gas Stove?

If you are looking for a gas stove, you’ve probably come across a few different options. There are gas stoves for conventional flues and balanced flues, along with flueless gas stoves.

Each one works slightly differently, has unique requirements and their own pros and cons.

So, for this blog, we decided to take a closer look at flueless gas stoves. What are they? How do they work? And should you choose one for your room?

What is a flueless gas stove?

If you assume a flueless gas stove is a stove that doesn’t need a chimney - you’d be 100% correct!

A flueless gas stove is pretty self explanatory. They run off gas and don’t need any type of flue to remove waste fumes, unlike a conventional gas stove.

How does a flueless gas stove work?

So, why do these stoves need no chimney? How do they work?

Flueless gas stoves burn incredibly cleanly, using a catalytic converter to turn carbon monoxide into harmless carbon dioxide and water vapour. As these gasses are perfectly safe, they can be released back into your room without the need for a flue.

Can anyone install a flueless gas stove?

Now, if gas stoves don’t produce any dangerous emissions, does this mean you can install one anywhere?

Not quite.

While they don’t release harmful gas, they still require a certain level of ventilation in your room.

Flueless gas stoves require you to fit at least 100cm2 of permanent ventilation in the same room, at least 1 metre away from the stove.

This is most often provided in the form of a simple ventilation brick. You must also have an openable window in the same room as your stove.

Don’t be put off by the idea of having to ventilate your room. Many modern air vents are now draft proof - in fact, they are probably less drafty than a conventional chimney!

In addition to this, you must also make sure that your room meets the minimum size requirements.

This is usually 30 or 35m3, though always check your particular stove’s requirements.

These requirements are to ensure that your room maintains a safe level of oxygen at all times.

Pictured: Burley Ambience 4121 Flueless Gas Stove

Are flueless gas stoves safe?

Yes!

Some people worry that as they don’t use a chimney, flueless gas fires pose some risk to you in your home.

However, they are perfectly safe, so long as you…

Have it fitted by a Gas Safe Engineer only
Follow all safety precautions on room size and ventilation
Have an annual gas safety inspection on the appliance
Have a carbon monoxide detector in your room - as you should for any gas or solid fuel burning appliance

If you need more reassurance, you might like to know that flueless gas appliances undergo stringent CE tests even without their catalytic converter. This means that they are so clean that even if that piece were to fail, the stove wouldn’t suddenly start releasing dangerous gas.

As an additional measure, most flueless gas stoves use an Oxygen Depletion Sensor and a Flame Failure Device.

So, if the stove detects that oxygen levels in the room have dropped to a certain level, it will cut off the gas supply.

Pictured: Eko Fires 6030 Black Flueless Gas Stove

Why would you want a flueless gas stove?

As you might imagine, the main reason many people consider a flueless gas stove is because they don’t have a suitable chimney.

But, there are more advantages - and a couple of disadvantages - to choosing one...

Advantages of flueless gas stoves

They are 100% efficient!
No chimney means one very important factor - no heat is lost through the flue. As a result, they are considered to be 100% efficient as all of the energy used will translate into heat for your room.

Easier to install
As they aren’t reliant on a working chimney, a flueless gas stove can be placed anywhere you can put a suitable hearth. You can place one against either an internal or external wall and aren’t limited by chimney positioning. This keeps installation costs lower, too - all you need is a gas connection.

Low running cost
Gas is one of the cheaper fuel options out there which, combined with the 100% efficiency of a flueless stove, gives them a low overall running cost.

Pictured: Burley Esteem 4221 Flueless Gas Stove

Disadvantages of flueless gas stoves

Your room must be big enough
This isn’t really a disadvantage as it’s a rule to keep you safe. But, if your room isn’t big enough, you won’t be able to have a flueless gas stove. Why not look at an electric stove instead?

It can only be used as a secondary heat source
If you want a stove to replace your use of central heating, this might not be the right choice for you. A flueless gas stove should be used alongside another heat source to prevent condensation forming on cold surfaces.

Flueless gas stoves - What’s the verdict?

If you don’t have a chimney in your room but want a low cost way to boost the heat in your room, in addition to your central heating, a flueless gas stove could be perfect for you.

However, there are a few requirements that you have to meet first, particularly around ventilation and room size.

An alternative option to look at is balanced flue gas stoves. These take a little more installation work, but are also highly efficient and don’t require an existing chimney.

For some more information, read our guide on how to have a gas stove with a balanced flue!