Bioethanol Fireplaces -

Real Flame

No Chimney

No Fuss

Frequently asked questions

• 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.

• Do I need a flue or chimney with a bioethanol fireplace?

  Short answers are always nice, aren’t they? Do you need a flue or chimney with a bioethanol fireplace?

  No.

  Therefore, one of the most significant benefits of bioethanol fireplaces is their versatility. 

  You’re no longer constrained to gas or electric fires if you don’t have a chimney. And you can use a beautiful bioethanol fireplace anywhere - a house, a flat, a home office, a garage - basically, wherever you want to enjoy a cosy, warming flame. 

  And it won’t cost you a fortune to install your biofire. 

  In fact, installation is as simple as unpacking your biofire, placing it in your desired spot, and lighting it. Warm and cosy in less than an hour.

  Why don’t biofires need a flue or chimney?

  It sounds crazy, doesn’t it? A real flame and no flue or chimney. But it’s true. 

  Burning wood and coal produces smoke, soot, ash, and a LOT of mess. And wood and coal burning are heavily associated with air pollution in urban areas. 

  On the other hand, bioethanol fuel burns cleanly without polluting the air inside or outside of your home. And this means you don’t need a flue or chimney with a bioethanol fireplace — better for the environment and better for you. 

  Can I get a false flue for my bioethanol fireplace?

  Yes. We sell false flues that magnetically connect to the top of your biofire. The upper end of the flue curves to a right angle, making it look like your flue connects to the outside. 

  Of course, there’s no need for a flue with a biofire — but if you want that traditional woodburner look, complete it with a beautiful false flue. 

  What happens when you burn bioethanol?

  Bioethanol needs oxygen to combust, so it burns some of the oxygen in the room. This is why we recommend ensuring your room is ventilated — keep your internal door open to ensure airflow, or open a window every couple of hours if it’s feeling stuffy. 

  While it sounds a bit worrying that your fire uses oxygen in the room, it’s precisely the same with any fire: wood, coal, or bioethanol — they all produce flames that use up oxygen from the room. 

  What emissions do you get from burning bioethanol?

  We all know that wood and coal produce smoke, soot, and ash. These flames also send out tiny carcinogenic particles into the air, which can be health hazards, especially if you’re prone to respiratory problems. 

  However, the only emissions from burning bioethanol are:

  • Carbon dioxide — about the same amount as burning two candles
  • Water vapour — but you won’t notice it in the room. 

  That’s it. Just a little carbon dioxide and water vapour. 

  This makes bioethanol much safer and better for the environmentthan fossil fuels. 

  And your house plants will love it — they’ll absorb the carbon dioxide produced by your biofire and thrive! 

• How much fuel does a bioethanol fireplace need?

  It depends on the size of your bioethanol fireplace, but our fireplaces provide a capacity of 1 litre of bioethanol fuel. This usually lasts for around 3-4 hours on full flame. 

  Can I overfill my bioethanol fuel box to burn for longer?

  Never overfill your bioethanol fuel box. This can cause leakage across the top of the fuel box, which could present a fire risk. 

  Always ensure that the fuel box has cooled down before you add more bioethanol. Never add more fuel when the fuel box is actively burning or still warm — the fuel could ignite as you pour, which could be extremely dangerous. 

  How long does a litre of bioethanol fuel last?

  Generally speaking, 1 litre of bioethanol fuel will burn for around 3-4 hours — but it depends on the quality of the fuel. ImagiFuel is our own-brand bioethanol, offering a superior burn costing around £3.75 per litre if you buy in bulk. 

  If you half-close the fuel box slider, the flames will be smaller, and the fuel will last longer. 

  Of course, you can get cheaper fuel for your bioethanol fireplace, but you get what you pay for — you may get shorter burn times and an unpleasant odour from cheaper fuel, making it a false economy to buy cheaper.  

  Our bioethanol burns cleanly with an extremely low odour. We also sell scented biofuel with delightful vanilla, forest, or Christmas fragrances. 

• How should I store the bioethanol fuel?

  Bioethanol is highly flammable, and we recommend caution in using and storing your fuel. Most bioethanol is supplied in air-tight bottles — the bottle must be air-tight, as ethanol evaporates if left open to the air. 

  Always store your bioethanol fuel away from potential fire sources and out of reach of children, pets, and animals. 

  All bioethanol supplied in the UK has a denaturing agent added — this makes the liquid poisonous, so NEVER drink bioethanol fuel.  

  Can I store bioethanol in the house?

  You can store sealed bottles of bioethanol in the house, as long as it’s away from any potential source of fire and extreme heat. Keep it in a cool, dry cupboard. 

  Never store bioethanol within 3m of your fireplace or any other heat/flame source. 

  Many people store their bioethanol fuel in their garage or garden shed. If you’re keeping it outside, ensure it remains in the shade, away from direct sunlight.

  Can I use cold bioethanol?

  If you’ve stored your bioethanol outside, the liquid may become too cold to light successfully. Bring it to room temperature (below 15°C) before you light it — that way, it will ignite more quickly. 

  The cheapest way to buy bioethanol fuel is in bulk — bringing the cost per litre down considerably. Many retailers sell individual 1-litre bottles for around £5-7. However, bought in bulk, you can bring the price of a litre of bioethanol fuel down to about £4. If you purchase 12 litres of our own-brand fuel, ImagiFuel, it costs just £3.75 per litre.

  Some of our customers store the majority of their fuel in the garage. However, we suggest transferring a couple of bottles at a time into the house to ensure that your fuel is at room temperature before you light it. 

  How do I dispose of bioethanol?

  Never dispose of bioethanol in your household drains. Please refer to your local council’s guidelines on the disposal of flammable/poisonous liquids. 

  Note that any unused fuel left in the fuel box will evaporate over time as it is an alcohol-based product.

• 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 .