Conventional fireplaces and gas heaters require a chimney or a flue for emissions, especially smoke and gas to emit from the room where the fireplace or heaters are installed. A new type of gas heater called the flueless gas heaters are now becoming popular in the UK. How a flueless gas heater works is that, it has in most cases a glass sheet in front, to trap any gases from escaping.

The heater burns gas and there is a catalytic converter fitted on top of the flame area of the heater. This converter traps the harmful gases, especially carbon monoxide and converts it into harmless carbon dioxide. The clean heated air emits from the top of the heater and heats the room.

Flueless gas-heaters have no open structural design and as they don't emit any gas or smoke, they are cleaner to use than the conventional flue heaters. Also the design of flueless gas fires is quite sleek and some resemble a flat screen television. A flueless-gas fire can be mounted on a wall in the room. Although flueless-gas heaters are believed not to emit any harmful gases, yet it is advised by safety boards to have ventilation in the room where they are installed.

When you decide to install a flue-less gas-fire, make sure you follow the instructions of the manufacturer in installing them. Flueless gas flames are known to be clean but they can harm people suffering from respiratory problems. People are installing flueless gas-heaters in areas where conventional heating systems cannot be installed. Like in basements, cellars and rooms that do not have flues.

Flueless-gas heaters are far more expensive than flue heaters. The catalytic converter is a costly unit, as precious metal as platinum is used in making them. There are certain flueless-gas-heaters manufacturers who claim that their flueless-gas flames are not using catalytic converters and are using different technologies to stop harmful gas emissions from their heaters.

However, whatever technology may be employed in making flueless-gas-heaters, make sure the room is ventilated. Some advanced flueless gas heaters have a special devise. When the devise detects that the heater is emitting harmful gases, it switches off the heater.

Flueless-gas flames heaters have to be maintained, that is why it's important to follow the maintenance regulations given by the manufacturer. Flueless-gas heaters should not be installed in bedrooms, caravans, bathrooms or any area, which is not ventilated.

Flueless-gas heaters may be clean, efficient and good to look at. However, that does not mean that they should be used in any unsafe environment. When you burn any type of gas for heating, certain pollutants are to be emitted for sure. The catalytic converter may convert these pollutants to harmless pollutants. However, the chances exist that they may not convert all the pollutants. Therefore, certain care and precautions should be taken when installing and using flueless-gas flames. If a flueless-gas heater does not use a catalytic converter, then check on how the harmful gases and other pollutants emitted by the flames are converted to harmless gases.