Anyone got a bioethanol fire?

[orangedrizzle]

Are they any good? What sort of price? Do we need a large hearth?

Hopeful bump

Also bumping, as I want to know the answer!

I have one. It is a bio ethanol stove from Stove hunters in Devizes Wiltshire. The stove just stands on our slate hearth - no flue needed. Ours was expensive because it is a reconditioned antique from France. It pumps out a lot of heat but I don’t know if that is due to the design.The box takes about 1litre of fuel . It comes into its own in cooler evenings when you really don’t want to heat the whole house.

I also have a reconditioned french antique one!

They are great, OP, really heats up the room. It allows us to keep the heating set to a lower temp for the house in general, and just have the sitting room warmer with the stove lit.

It's so clean! I love that there's no faff or mess to ever clean it out. I love that there are no carcinogenic wood or coal particles going into our lungs, too. Its only by-product is carbon dioxide (not monoxide!).

The only other thing you might want to know is that the bio ethanol has a smell, a bit like spirits. We are used to it now, but it took us a while.

Oh, and you can plonk it anywhere in a room - it doesn't even need to be on a hearth. There is no flue/output/chimney needed. The fuel simply burns in a little container.

Light, cheap, safe, no installation, fills a gap in our fireplace and gives that stove effect visually. Some people complain about the smell but I don't find it noticeable after the first minute or two. Heat wise I don't think it gives off as much heat as a log burner (ours is in a very large living room though). You couldn't rely on it as a main heat source. But it gives a pleasant extra warmth on a chilly evening.

Fire-owners - how safe do you think they would be in a house with an impulsive child with a learning disability? How accessible is the fuel? I love the sound of them - we have a big, empty fireplace at the moment - but am also picturing bio-ethanol everywhere!

@TribulationPeriwinkle about as safe as any other naked flame, so presumably you would need a fire guard
in your situation. Saying that my stove is closed and I can stand close to it and put my hands on the top of it without burning so maybe not as hot as a log/coal fire. The fuel can be bought off Amazon and the more you buy the cheaper it is by litre. I tend to buy from a manufacturer direct. We have a 1 litre fuel box and buy 1 litre bottles so that works well.

Thank you, @uptomyeyes1 ! I’m actually more concerned about DD being able to get at the fuel when it’s in the fire. The flames themselves are less of a concern because we probably wouldn’t light it when she was around.

Absolutely fine. The bioethanol is poured into a metal container inside the stove before lighting each time (maybe a litre each time you want a fire). Not particularly accessible, especially because you light it on fire as soon as you fill it! Then it burns away.

The bottles themselves can be stored wherever you want (maybe a shed), and have childproof lids.

Ah, it will be empty when not in use.