Bioethanol Fire Baskets

Frequently asked questions

• Are bioethanol fires more eco-friendly than coal fires or woodburners?

  Yes. Bioethanol fires burn cleaner than woodburners, and they produce no smoke, soot or harmful emissions. Made from renewable plant-based sources, bioethanol is far greener than coal or wood – and with no chimney needed, there's no wasted heat either.

• Will a bioethanol fireplace trigger my smoke alarm?

  High-quality bioethanol fuel burns cleanly, meaning it doesn’t produce smoke, ash, soot, or any mess. So, as long as you use your bioethanol fireplace in line with our safety guidance, it won’t produce smoke and — therefore — won’t set off your smoke alarm. 

  As long as you burn bioethanol approved for use in bioethanol fireplaces, it’s completely safe to burn in the home as a heat source. 

  Will my bioethanol fireplace trigger my carbon monoxide alarm?

  As long as you burn bioethanol approved for indoor use, such as ImagiFuel, you can be safe knowing that your fire won’t produce carbon monoxide. 

  And while burning bioethanol fuel produces some carbon dioxide, it’s only the same amount as you’d create from burning two candles. You’ll find that your houseplants thrive because they absorb carbon dioxide from the air to help them photosynthesise.

  Bioethanol uses oxygen in the air to complete combustion, so we recommend opening an internal door while burning to maximise oxygen flow. If the room feels stuffy, open a window for a couple of minutes to encourage airflow. 

  However, some customers install carbon monoxide alarms in the same room as their biofire for peace of mind. 

  Some tips for safe bioethanol fuel use

  Your bioethanol fireplace won’t produce smoke. 

  So, if you do spot smoke coming from your fireplace, we recommend you check:

  • Nothing has fallen into the fuel box, such as paper or anything else flammable (apart from bioethanol fuel).
  • You’re using a high-grade bioethanol fuel specifically manufactured for bioethanol fireplaces. Never use gels, fragrance oils, or other non-approved fuels in your biofire. However, we supply scented bioethanol if you want a pleasant ambient aroma. 
  • Nothing is obstructing or restricting the burn area of your fuel box. Keep all accessories, such as ceramic logs and stones, away from the burning aperture — this could affect combustion quality. 
  • All accessories placed inside or on top of your biofire are designed for exposure to heat and flame. All ImaginFires accessories are suitable for use inside the burning chamber, but we are aware that other inferior products have triggered smoke alarms. Remove any non-approved accessory if your smoke alarm sounds. 

• Where can I view your bioethanol fires?

  Unfortunately, we do not have any retail premises where you can view our bioethanol fireplaces. However, you can be extremely confident in the quality of our products, since we supply to a number of the biggest retailers on the high street.  Indeed, we are so confident that you will love our range that we will happily take back and refund you for any imagin biofire that you are not entirely satisfied with, within 10 days of receipt as long as it is unused and in its original packaging. We only take a small charge to cover the cost of returning the bioethanol fire to us. This varies from item to item, but is typically around £15.

• Can you put a TV above a bioethanol fireplace?

  Yes. Bioethanol fireplaces produce no smoke, soot, or mess — so there\’s no danger of smoke damage to your TV.  You\’ll see that many of our biofire customers have made a lovely feature of their biofire and TV together.  

  Some simple tips on positioning a TV above a Biofire: 

  We recommend leaving at least 45cm between the top of your biofire and your wall-mounted TV. Biofires don\’t get as hot as wood- or coal-burning stoves, but installing your TV too close to the heat could damage your television. 

  Use one of the closed top biofires, such as all of those in our woodburner style range (link). 

  Dont put any TV leads or cables behind the biofire. They could heat up and get damaged. If you absolutely need to put cables behind a biofire…make sure they are covered in a heatproof cable guards/conduits. 

  Can I use a stovetop fan to distribute the heat from my biofire?

  Stovetop fans are inexpensive and powered by thermoelectric energy (the heat of the fire converted into electricity), your stovetop fan has neither cables nor batteries.

  The fan sits on top of your bioethanol fireplace and distributes the heat into the room (rather than permitting it to rise directly to the ceiling).  

  Stovetop fans are almost silent, and the blades start spinning when the fireplace heats up. 

  However, we get very mixed reviews on how good a job these stovetop fans do in distributing heat around the room. It depends on the fan itself, the size of room, the levels of ventilation etc.  We dont have especially high expectations for these fans to significantly improve heat distribution, but they do have their \‘fans\’ (sorry!)

  Will smoke from my bioethanol fireplace damage my TV?

  Bioethanol should never produce any smoke — it\’s a clean-burning fuel that produces carbon dioxide and a trace of water vapour — never any smoke. 

  If your bioethanol fireplace is smoking, close the slider and extinguish the flames immediately. Open your windows to ventilate the space. 

  Check that nothing has fallen into the fuel box that could be causing the flames to smoke. Small pieces of paper, hair, or debris could cause smoke. 

  Always make sure the burning aperture is clear of any obstructions. 

  What type of bioethanol fireplace is best with a wall-mounted TV?

  All of our beautiful fireplaces can be installed underneath a TV. Just ensure you leave at least 45cm between the top of the fire and the TV set. 

  However, we recommend — for extra safety — installing a closed-top biofire underneath your TV sets, such as our wall-mounted Marlow or our stunning woodburner-style biofires .

• Will my bioethanol fireplace need professional installation?

  Not at all. Just place your fireplace where you want it, add fuel, and ignite. No tools, tradespeople, or building work required.

• What is the running cost of a bio ethanol fireplace?

  The cost of running your bioethanol fireplace depends entirely on the amount you use it and the size of the flame you demand for your burn. 

  Unlike gas, there are no standing charges for bioethanol — you purchase your bioethanol fuel as and when you need it. And unlike coal and wood-burners, no additional supplies are required, such as kindling, firelighters, and chimney sweeps.

  The cost of bioethanol fuel is more stable than gas, wood, and coal 

  We’re living through particularly volatile times in terms of fuel prices, with gas and electricity skyrocketing, affecting the prices of almost every other commodity, including the cost of wood and coal. However, the price of bioethanol fuel has remained relatively stable, meaning that bioethanol is a very competitive option. 

  How much does 1 litre of bioethanol fuel cost (and how long does it last)?

  You can pay as much as £7 for a single litre of bioethanol fuel, which should last around 4 hours of burning on full. All of our bioethanol fireplaces have slider control, which reduces the size of the flame — in turn, reducing the heat output. So, if you reduce the output by 50%, your litre of fuel will last considerably longer. 

  Buying bioethanol fuel in bulk reduces the costs considerably. For example, 12 bottles of ImagiFuel currently cost £44.99, which makes it £3.75 per litre. 

  So, if your litre burns for 4 hours, it costs 94p an hour. 

  For a direct comparison, check out our article comparing the cost of burning bioethanol fuel against wood and gas — you’ll find bioethanol very competitive.