At Mr. Vent Free, we are sometimes asked whether we carry vent-free pellet stoves. Wouldn’t it be convenient to fuel a stove with pellets, but not have to install a vent or chimney? If you could do that, you would:

• put the stove almost anywhere in the building (within the limits of local and state guidelines)
• not have to worry about exhaust or pollution in the building
• not have to be concerned about oxygen depletion or a negative effect on air quality
• save money versus a wood-burning stoves, because pellets are more efficient
• provide supplemental heat to your home or building, potentially saving money on overall heating costs

However, even with a vent-free pellet stove, you would still have these nuisances:

• one more chore: make sure the pellets are in the bin, ready-to-burn
• storing pellets in conditions recommended by the manufacturer
• buying pellets and transporting them to the building
• disposing of the packaging the pellets come in
• risking running out of pellets at an inconvenient moment
• tinkering to get the heat just right

The reality is that pellet stoves are burning biomass at only 75% efficiency. Pellet stoves produce waste exhaust that must be vented to the outside; therefore, vent-free pellet stoves do not exist. They require a specific type of sealed exhaust pipe to send the bad air out. Here are some vent-free stoves are ultra-convenient, 99% efficient and have a minimal impact on indoor air quality and humidity:

• Majestic Vent-Free Cast Iron Gas Stoves (choose your fuel before purchasing: natural gas or liquid propane)
• Napoleon Vent-Free Cast Iron Gas Stoves (run on propane or natural gas, depending on the model you choose)

Vent-free gas or liquid propane (LB) stoves are superb for supplemental heat because they can be installed almost anywhere. All the models we sell come with an Oxygen Depletion Sensor (ODS) that automatically shuts off the unit if the oxygen levels in the room drop too low. See our comparison of vent-free gas stoves versus pellet stoves.

While vent-free gas stoves are not designed to be the primary source of heat in a home, they DO keep working during a power outage. So long as the gas lines are still running, or you still have propane in your outdoor tank (depending on the type of fuel your stove burns), then you have a safe heat source.

However, a basic pellet stove depends on electricity and may stop functioning in an electrical power outage. In fact, it can snuff out and produce a horrible smell. Some pellet stoves have a backup battery to keep it chugging along for a while when the power goes out.

Vent-free gas stoves have a thermostat, and all our stoves come with a free remote control. Just set the thermostat to the temperature you want. Turn it off and on with the press of a button – very simple.