Bioethanol fire where no fireplaces exist already?

[ArundelPike]

Does anyone have a bioethanol fire? I’m considering it for emergencies / power cuts.

I live in a semi-detached house which has had its fireplaces removed and boarded up (previously owned by builder landlord).

I have two electric stove-effect heaters downstairs in the fireplace gap but would like a real fire.

Is a bioethanol fire worth it? Does it produce much heat? Does it smell odd? Will i need ventilation for fumes? Will i need the chimneys sweeping and re-opening?

I got a quote for an open fire but I’d worry about my elderly cat who’s blind and it would cost about six grand.

You don’t need a chimney or fireplace. There are freestanding ones that can sit in the corner of the room. We have one in (in our closed flue) Victorian fireplace. We find it gives off quite a bit of heat and raises the room temp by a good few degrees, so really makes a difference in winter to complement the radiators. But all depends on room size etc. I find they can smell a little bit but you get used to it. They recommend a small amount of ventilation eg a
cracked window just be safe. We have a CO monitor next to it and it’s never registered an increase.

We have one in the living room. It’s within a traditional surround but the chimney breast above was removed above years ago for wardrobes and a loft conversion. I do like the look of it. You don’t need ventilation like a chimney but the fuel, even the good quality stuff, has a very faint smell, it’s not bad or anything but you may want to crack a window. Think of it like a giant fondue burner. It does get hot although not to the point that a real fire would. The fuel is expensive. I wouldn’t have one if I could have the real thing but if you can’t it’s a nice solution.

I looked into it as a woodburner can't be fitted to this house. I decided it wasnt worth the money and wouldnt be warm enough so I bought two electric blankets instead. One for upstairs and one for downstairs.
They really keep me warm.

Thanks everyone.

It’s interesting that you say that they smell and Ive noticed that there are now scented bio fuels to combat this.

I think I’m going to go for it. It’ll look pretty and will do as a stand-in for emergencies.