Propane gas fireplaces are popular here in Mexico and especially San Miguel de Allende. Because there is often no heating “system” per se, these temporary use heaters are ubiquitous. Most synthetic log types are designed to burn with a yellow/orange flame to look like real logs on fire. Yellow mean incomplete combustion, blue/white means more complete, clean and hotter combustion. Yellow means more monoxides of carbon, more air pollutants, more health risk. So…..
- Dont use them for longer than an hour or so…
- Don’t leave them unattended…
- Don’t use them if you start to get a headache or feel nauseous…
- Do not use them over night while sleeping….
- Do not use them close to curtains, furniture and other combustibles….
- Do have a carbon monoxide detector in the room…
- Do crack a window for fresh air…
- Do make sure they are cleaned each season…
- Do make sure they have a functioning safety valve with pilot…
- Do make sure there are no gas leaks when on or off…..
- Do install a separate shutoff valve outside the fireplace nicho/opening if possible…
- Do install a closeable vent up and to the exterior in the top of the nicho and make sure it is open…(yes, you will lose some heat but when you turn off the heater you close the vent and the warm air in the room will not escape).
Note: more modern models (more expensive too) have oxygen sensors so that when the room runs low on oxygen, the safety valve shuts down the fireplace and gas. I have heard complaints that these models with sensors are “tempermental”.