What's everyone doing about stoves and fireplaces now?

[CaptainPigeon]

I'm definitely overthinking this, but: I'm about to move into a house that has a naff-looking old gas fire in the living room that I want to replace.

Our previous house had a woodburner. I liked it - cosy, pretty - but it started giving me a headache, and then I learned more about how polluting they are and now I don't want to put a new one in our new house.

I've never seen an electric fire that looks convincing. Gas fires look better, but they're still burning fossil fuels and polluting, and with gas boilers on the way out soonish, is a gas fire doomed too?

I sort of liked this dinky little electric stove but it's effectively just having an oven in the middle of your living room: www.everhot.co.uk/Everhot-Electric-Stove.aspx

What's the answer? Is there an option that looks stylish and cosy and is eco-friendly and that isn't just... a hole in the wall?

The little ever hot looks fab and has swiftly turned my head from the bioethanol one I have been considering.
Anyone with one can you comment on dryness? I never liked electric heat as was so drying, and we already live in an incredibly dry house.

Today 23:00 Keepitonthedownlow

Trigger warning, re personal account of injury from bioethanol fire.
youtu.be/u-guZh4p7zw

I used to think they were the holy grail for flames with no chimney but now I've been put right off”

Like all things, follow the instructions provided to the letter and there’s no problem.

@DenisetheMenace I agree but it's easier said than done. I personally don't think it's worth the risk. I think it would be easy to slip up with these things.

Ours is incredibly simple. Fill the reservoir with the specified amount of liquid snd light with the electric lighter provided. Burns happily for two hours then stops.

It would be very hard to get it wrong 🤷‍♀️

We have bioethanol. Looks ok but doesn't get very hot, ok as additional heat source or to look pretty. We have pine scented fuel which I don't like but partner does.

@DenisetheMenace

Ours is incredibly simple. Fill the reservoir with the specified amount of liquid snd light with the electric lighter provided. Burns happily for two hours then stops.

It would be very hard to get it wrong 🤷‍♀️

Yes but from what I've read, if you or someone else tied to relight it after the 2 hours, it could basically turn into a fireball that erupts and takes several layers of skin off. I think I'll stick with some fairy lights for ambience tbh.

It depends a bit on how often you're going to use it. There was a wood burner already installed in my house when I bought it. I normally put it on a couple of times a week when it's cold (usually weekend evenings). I wouldn't bother to light it everyday though, and it's not necessary with central heating.

When it comes to log burners and pollution I think there are a couple of things to remember.

Firstly, there are now wood burning stoves that are approved by DEFRA and can be used in smoke control zones. These are not going to have the same issues as older log burners that do not meet current standards.

Also, as of next month, the sale of unseasoned wood in small quantities (less than 2 m3) is being phased out. This is the wording from The Air Quality (Domestic Solid Fuels Standards) (England) Regulations 2020

^from 1 May 2021 it will be unlawful to sell wood that is not certified
as having a moisture content of 20% or below in volumes of less than
2m3^

from 1 May 2021 it will be unlawful to sell wood in volumes of 2m3 or more that has moisture content above 20% that can be dried at home by the consumer. It will be a requirement that suppliers provide guidance to consumers on how to dry wood at home to ensure it is not burnt until it is sufficiently dried.

Elsewhere I've seen it estimated that currently something like only 10% of firewood that is used in the UK is kiln dried and meets these requirements.

So those two things together really should make a big difference to how polluting wood burning stoves are.

You’re not supposed to relight them , Keepiton. Should b3 safe enough if people follow the instructions.

We have a bioethanol & it looks lovely. I’m not overly worried about safety as follow instructions. It’s clean & not messy but it does smell a little chemically when it burns. Doesn’t belt out the heat but is warmer if it’s on.

I could have written your OP

We put a stove into our old house. We moved into this house which has a stone fireplace and one of those big outset fires from the 80s(?). We have pulled that out and would like to try to keep the fireplace but not sure what to put in it.

We don't really want an electric fire. DH is keen to make it an open fire or we might get an inset fire but they don't look as good as a stove.

I know you can get fires that look like stoves...

I'd get a specialist to check it all out as it shouldn't be giving you headaches. None of us get headaches with ours and the one in our rental hasn't caused any issues either. I'm wondering if your flue is drawing out properly.
It might also be worth getting your chimney swept if it's coming up for that time - when I lived in my own I bought a house with a log burner and it smoked really badly so I didn't use it. When I got the chimney swept for selling, the sweep found multiple crows' nests in it!

Bio ethanol fires, pretty cheap too.

We found a lovely log and wrapped it in fine twinkly lights

I might one day put Moroccan tiles up the back

Now I’ve seen those everhot stoves I want one!!!

We had put a bioethonal stove in last year but returned it after it’s first go as I couldn’t stand the smell of the fuel when burning

We had bioethenol in our last house. I liked it but fuel was expensive. Although it had a funny smell that seemed to vanish when it started burning. Last house was a terrace so no hope of putting a flue in.

I had thought we'd put in a wood burner in our current house, but like you worry it's not good for the environment. I do love a fire though.

I've been thinking about getting one of these, Adam Keston (seem to have changed name to Sureflame Keston). Electric stove with pipe.

I dont need the heat just aesthetics. Just not sure if they look cheap in real life. Anyone got any experience?

I'm going to have a faux chimney breast built with an alcove to put it in.