Pictures of Fireplaces
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fireplaces, picture 2
fireplaces, picture 3
Bio Fires
Bio fires have only been available in recent years and offer an alternative method of heating your rooms without using mains gas or electricity. They are very popular nowadays as they are very versatile, some models can even be placed anywhere in a room, and they offer stylish and attractive designs that have started to outshine the more traditional fireplaces that we have grown up with for many years.
Bio fires are available in three formats, wall mounted, a fire that can fit inside a standard fireplace or free standing that can be used indoors or outdoors depending on the model selected. All of these different formats work on the same principle, they all have a burner which will hold anything up to three canisters of bio-ethanol fuel that is ignited and once the canisters are empty they can be discarded and replaced in a matter of minutes. The beauty of this type of heating has to be the green concept, they emit no smoke or fumes and do not require a flue or chimney, they do require a well ventilated room though to run efficiently.
The fuel is a by product from sugar beet and trees that have been managed in a forest friendly way, it is a petrol substitute, even some cars and lorries have been converted to run using this type of fuel, maybe a sign of things to come. This fuel is available in two forms, a liquid form or in a gel which is considered much safer as the risk of it leaking when knocked over is greatly reduced and the gel form seems to be preferred for indoor use. As mentioned above they do come in an outdoor model, these are ideal for conservatories, summer houses and even replacing the outdated patio heaters.
The burner can also be purchased as a single unit or it is hidden by a modern frame work surrounded by a stylish front, most of the fireplaces that I have seen researching on the internet come with stainless steel surrounds. There are plenty of companies advertising their bio fires on the internet, some of these will even design a fire specifically for your home, the only drawback with this is that they often demand a higher price for their services as they will be creating a unique model which costs more to produce.
Bio fire suppliers
- www.gelfires.com
This is a well established company that greets you with a stunning quote on their home page and they offer a wide range of bio fires plus a large range of standard fireplaces. They can supply the canisters of fuel that are needed and claim that this fuel is completely eco friendly. They do offer conversion sets which comprise of a gel burner and a realistic ceramic log cover which looks very realistic when ignited. They can also provide single burners that are designed to be ornamental around the house. - www.realflame.com
This is yet another company that can offer conversion kits for your fireplace plus they have a wide range of outdoor burners. All of their units are fully tested to meet any EU safety requirements and range from £500 right up to £800 for fixed fireplaces. Their outdoor units range from £90 up to £200 dependant on the desired style. - www.justfireplaces.com
This was one of the first companies to start selling bio fires and they have a full range on their website for you to browse through. They are from the US and can only deal with US customers but looking at their designs will help visitors from the EU select which style will be most at home in their planning.
last modification on Sat Aug 20 0:10:06 PDT 2011.