# Clearances on antique parlor stoves and gas retrofit



## eclecticcottage (Jan 17, 2012)

Ok, I have no idea if this is the right area or not so here goes:

We currently have a Procom ventfree fireplace in our dining room as a backup to the woodstove.  It doesn't get used much, but it's there just in case.  It's not bad looking, but...I always liked the looks of the older parlor stoves.  I'd buy a Thelin if we had the $$.  I've found a few older, smaller parlor type stoves for sale and was thinking about retrofitting ventfree logs into one (without really looking into it, some look like you could feed the line in via the ash drawer and up so you don't have to actually damage the stove in the process).  The problem is-how on earth do I figure out how far to put it from the walls?  Most ventfree units are pretty close clearance wise, ours is basically 0 clearance (there's a mantel around the actual "fireplace" portion).  I don't have a ton of room in there, but I think it would look better than the fireplace.  We needed something for this winter so I didn't have a lot of time to shop around and consider this earlier.  Now I can take my time and find just the right unit-assuming DH wants to play along, lol.  He likes the fireplace.  Of course this might take a few years to find the right stove and fix it up, so by then he might get bored by it anyway.


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## stoveguy2esw (Jan 17, 2012)

inserting a ventfree set into a woodstove is not just a "drop it in and go" situation. most are designed for a fireplace of a certain size (cubic ft of firebox) and those which are designed to go into a freestanding stove are set up purpose built for the firebox and amount of free air flow available. inserting a vent free gas set into a parlor stove or any firebox which the gas set was not designed to go into is fraught with potential issues. its highly unlikely you would be able to get the gas log set to operate due to 02 ODS sensor system built into all vent free units which will kill the valve if oxygen level in space drops below 19.2%.

as simple a thing as it may look to be to do, its a lot more complecated than it looks. i would suggest not putting any time into "retrofitting" an existing stove to vent free gas, i can almost guarentee you its not gonna work.


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## eclecticcottage (Jan 17, 2012)

Hm...good info, thanks.  Maybe I'll keep the Procom for now and get a Thelin when we have the $$$.


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