Forum home› The potting shed
This Forum will close on Wednesday 27 March, 2024. Please refer to the announcement on the Discussions page for further detail.

Bioethanol fires

NorthernJoeNorthernJoe Posts: 660
in The potting shed
Anyone know anything about them? For living room.

Background. Looking at changing the living room in our new house. Old real effect fire. Thinking plain fireplace with something looking like wood burner but they're not great for the environment due to particulates if the fuel is at all wet. My partner read about bioethanol fires.

 I know nothing about them and thought someone on here might. Shortcut to knowledge as I am a little Googleophobic. If that's such a thing.

Besides someone on here might be able to suggest something different and better. It's a backup heat source for the living room / dining room open plan. We don't want the hearth sticking out or a fire. It's an early 70 house with a chimney. Something to fit in the fireplace without a big, traditional  mantelpiece. It's got one with the big wood surround and synthetic stone back and hearth.
«1

Posts

  • Chris-P-BaconChris-P-Bacon Posts: 943
    https://www.housebeautiful.com/uk/renovate/heating/a34966229/bio-ethanol-fireplace/

    Advantages and disadvantages like all these things..
  • Pete.8Pete.8 Posts: 11,340
    The running cost is around £2 per hour according to that article and they don't seem to provide much actual heat.
    But they look nice.
    I've got a Valor Inspire 800 in the wall gas fire which produces a gentle background glow or a huge amount of heat.

    Billericay - Essex

    Knowledge is knowing that a tomato is a fruit.
    Wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad.
  • B3B3 Posts: 27,505
    We have a gas flame fire. We don't use it as it just heats pigeons ' bums
    In London. Keen but lazy.
  • Nanny BeachNanny Beach Posts: 8,719
    We have a  *******electric fake log burner,they have a system called 'hydronics" you can have flame effects,2 heat settings, electric fan,which is hidden from view,better than a lot of to models. You can open the door.The Hydronic part,is you can actually plumb it into your "wet" central heating system as well. Happy to supply picture. Thought I'd better not type make, probably the biggest name in electric fires!
  • ErgatesErgates Posts: 2,953
    We had an open fire in our living room when we moved in. Could never get it to run without smoking out the whole room, and it was a horror to clean. We had a closed gas fire installed instead, looks like a wood burning stove. Ours sits on a slate slab, but we had considered a version that would have fitted inside the fireplace. It is very efficient as an alternative or a top up to the central heating, and also provides an interesting focal point. 
    I thought that the bioethanol fires were more for aesthetics than as an efficient heat source?
  • ObelixxObelixx Posts: 30,090
    If you have a decent log store your wood won't be damp which would make a wood burner fine if it's a back up to CH and not the main source of heat.  
    Vendée - 20kms from Atlantic coast.
    "The price good men (and women) pay for indifference to public affairs is to be ruled by evil men (and women)."
    Plato
  • Nanny BeachNanny Beach Posts: 8,719
    Understand the government wants wood burners,and gas fires,and boilers banned.
  • Nanny BeachNanny Beach Posts: 8,719
    even works on its side!!! Wanted a log burner,no chimney or fireplace, would have cost thousands for the building work alone,plus the fire,planning permission for the exterior pipe work, not to mention the mess. Was really glad of this (and the emersion heater) when the self condensing pipe frozen in the Beast from the East
  • DovefromaboveDovefromabove Posts: 88,147
    edited July 2021
    Is this the sort of thing?

       
    Electric. Two flame settings and two heat/fan settings,  set almost flush into the chimney breast. A choice of  wood or coal effect. We use it occasionally on cool summer/autumn evenings when we don’t want to put the central heating on. 

    Our house sounds a similar age and design to yours @NorthernJoe ... 60/70s design, pretty spacious open plan living/dining area.  

    Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.





  • Nanny BeachNanny Beach Posts: 8,719
    Love that Dove,and the slabs.ours had an optional kit,a pipe coming out the top, to add to the realism,but we sometimes move it.
Sign In or Register to comment.