Gas fires

[tamborine]

Do they burn up the oxygen in a room?

[S_C]

they do take oxygen in to burn the flame yes however a gas fire will online be fitted to a room that is ventilated so oxygen can come into a room.

there are obviously regulations for this for obvious reasons as there are regulations about the exhuast fumes that come out of gas fires.

[tamborine]

Is the an internal open door ventilation enough or has it got to be a window. The windows are dbl glazed - would that make a difference?

I just seemed short of breath working in this situ.

[S_C]

http://www.feature-fi...nical/Ventilation.asp

http://www.doityourself.com/stry/gasfireplace2

those info pages should answer your questions in greater detail , however if i understand it correctly a room should be ventilated by means of an air vent in the room to allow air to flow freely .
but for greater detail check these links

[tamborine]

thanx S_C....the fire is fitted into a chimney so the fumes are dispersed. The room seems airless tho' after a couple of hours.

[S_C]

hmmm well a gas fire usualy takes in air at the lower front " depending on design " and this passes through the fire to aide the bruning of the gas this is then expelled via the flu " in your case up the chimney " in all cases outside.

there should be an air vent leading into the room the fire is in " according to all the info i can find " for the fire to be within regulation.

as you seem to sufferin effects consitent with " lack of oxygen " i would suggest you make sure the vent is not blocked.
i would also like to suggest you check the carbon monoxide emotions coming from this fire " this gas is odorless and will cause some of the effects your are experiancing"
please take this part extremely seriously as these gasses can kill.

if in doubt you could ask the gas company to cjheck your appliance however there would usualy be a charge involved in this..

please do let me know how you get on with this issue.
thanks you

[magicmerlin]

Air gets in via gaps around door.

[gucciman]

hi

if the fire is below a heat input rating of 7kw then it needs no extra ventilation as there is deemed enough free air in the room for the fire to burn correctly (known as adventitious ventilation) refer to your instruction manual to see if it needs ventilation or not.

the exception to the above is if it is a decorative fuel effect fire (refer to manufacturers instructions as to whether it needs extra ventilation) or a flueless fire (if it's fitted in a chimney it's probably not a flueless fire) in which case it would need a 100cm2 air vent.

as already said if you are feeling ill effects when the fire is burning then get the appliance serviced which should also cover if the chimney is working correctly

some people find the air is too dry when they use their gas fire and often put a little pot of water under the fire to add some humidity to the room

[tamborine]

I cant find a vent anywhere - wot does a vent look like? The flame is open (not behind glass).

[S_C]

a vent should look like a vent either in walls or floor . a mesh or grill will usualy be on the front of this but not always. and sometimes will have a sliding plate to open / close of the vent.
you have double glassing , some come with vents in others without , again these look like vents if your windows have them.

i would check the links i have supplied as they tell you when a vent is required , for instance as has been stated a 7kw or above fire would require a vent yet below that no vent is deamed needed.

if you get your fire serviced annualy and have no warning from your gas service engineer then i imagine its just a case of having the heat to high therefore making it seem like less air is in room.

However you can check your fire KW level by doing a search regarding your particular fire online and finding its KW level that way. taking the information of the fire itself or relevent paperwork " if you have any "

hot air is dryer and seems thinner some people find the air is too dry when they use their gas fire and often put a little pot/bowl of water under the fire to add some humidity to the room

if your property is rented , and your fire is above the 7KW level then your landlord would be able to enlighten you as to where the vent is.

http://en.wikipedia.o...on_monoxide_poisoning
that is useful info to know regarding this.

[pfabc123]

hi you need to get a gas safety certificate for any gas appliance. If rented then your landlord will have to send in a corgi registered gas engineer to test the appliance. i would get a carbon monoxide alarm if i were you just to be on the safe side. if you believe that you have ingested carbon monoxide fumes get a test at accident and emergency and if positive they will give you burst oxygen. long term gradual exposure to carbon monoxide will either kill you or cause brain damage. I know this through experience and my family were very lucky. Our per cat died though and it was established by the brit gas team that came to investigate that there was no gas safety cert for the basket gas fire and that 100 % of the fumes were entering the room. upon testing they told us that had we closed the door with the fire on we would have been dead in 4 minutes. please enquire and do take it seriously. good luck

[tamborine]

The difference from past usage is the double glazed windows, they do have vents - slitty things that slide. I never thought to open them and the fire was on high.

Thanx s-c; hopefully that's solved it.

[S_C]

i hope so to mate.

not wanting to be a scare monger , but wanting the best for you i do suggest you make sure your appliance is serviced on a regular basis as things can change over time " for instance a chimney can become blocked therefore causing fumes to be fed back into a room instead of expelled".

and for added safety a carbon monoxide detector would not be a bad idea .

in all cases remain safe : )

[gucciman]

after the 2 children were killed by a faulty boiler a couple of years ago we noticed an increase in the amount of people having their boilers serviced yet most people only call us out to their gas fires when they need repairing. a gas fire can be potentially much more dangerous than a modern room sealed boiler. the fire is sitting there in the middle of your room flames blazing away right in front of you, if it's not burning properly or your chimney is blocked it could be fatal.

and the vast majority of gas fires are manufactured to be below the 7kw heat input so that they don't need ventilation. do you know what make and model of fire you have?