Today, people in different financial situations can afford to install a fireplace, since such a “home” can be easily installed and placed both in a private house, a country cottage, in a country house, and in a standard apartment in the city. Moreover, the apartment does not have to have a large area. Biofireplaces are nothing more than a prototype, an alternative and high-quality replacement for a classic wood-burning fireplace, in the hearth of which there is also a real flame.
Instead of standard coals, briquettes, logs, which are used to fire a classic heating unit, eco-alcohol, denatured ethanol is used to operate the biofireplace. Eco-fireplaces have a number of their own design features, some differences in appearance and care. However, the very principle of operation and purpose of such a device remains unchanged.
An eco-fireplace has two main components - a decorative body and a fuel tank that houses a burner with fuel (bioethanol). Eco-fireplaces are installed and used without a chimney.
Main types
An ecological fireplace in an apartment is primarily intended to create a cozy and comfortable atmosphere, the opportunity to observe the flame burning in the hearth, enjoy its colors, brightness and blaze. If we talk about bio-fireplaces in more detail, it should be noted that such installations are divided into various types based on their location in the interior and a number of other features.
Types of fireplaces include wall-mounted and corner models. Fireplaces are also divided into built-in, floor-mounted, island, and suspended. The smallest fireplaces are tabletop ones.
Built-in biofireplace inserts without a chimney are installed in a pre-prepared hole or niche in a partition, wall, or furniture. You can also buy a ready-made portal from:
artificial, natural stone, chipboard, tiles, ceramic tiles, fireproof, glass, brick, wood.
The burning flame is very realistic
Additional volume and visibility are achieved by the presence of transparent glass sides
The installation of a biofuel fireplace is carried out mainly at the stage of renovation work in the apartment. This will avoid many problems, excessive amounts of construction waste, and repeated repairs.
Important: be sure to think through the layout and interior design of the room - this will make the fireplace functional, the main element decorating the interior of the living room, bedroom, and dining room.
You can build in a bio-fireplace as a corner element, which in turn will allow you to profitably save free space in the living room. Corner models are especially suitable for large and limited spaces. Near the exhibition you can place several armchairs, a soft sofa, and add small pillows as decoration.
Biofireplaces: current trend
Fireplaces using environmentally friendly bioethanol are of interest to many. They appeared recently, but have already conquered the market. Today, a biofireplace is an attribute of wealth and high status. The device generates a living flame without smoke, soot or odor, and does not place great demands on the installation site and maintenance. Biofireplace is economical, safe, productive, and you can buy it relatively cheaply in an online store. A wide selection and affordable prices for products allow you to bring any design idea to life.
Hanging and portable fireplaces
A floor-standing fireplace without a chimney has one main advantage: it is easy to install and requires a minimum of installation work. It is enough to attach it to special double-sided brackets to a wall or partition, as a result of which the “home” will be in its place.
An eco-fireplace is a source of real fire, which is very realistic, since such a design can easily be placed in a living room or bedroom. False fireplace (false) should not be placed in the bedroom, as its energy is considered not very favorable for the family nest according to Feng Shui.
Completely finished steel hearth without frame
Built-in electric firebox
Hanging fireplaces have the following features and advantages:
- Suitable for placement in a small apartment, do not take up much free space or space;
- A hearth with a simple finish allows you to complete and recreate a minimalist style.
An alcohol fireplace will become a source of safe, real flames in the hearth. Moreover, this design is safe, without a chimney.
A portable fireplace is suitable for a small apartment, since such a model can be installed in any room: on a table, chest of drawers, closet, window sill, countertop. Mini-fireplaces are small in size, very economical, affordable, lightweight.
Biofireplaces, in turn, are open and closed structures. Closed models are safer due to the fact that the flame is located behind durable, transparent fire-resistant glass. Closed hearths have higher efficiency, heat transfer and other technical and operational characteristics.
Open fireplaces do not have a high degree of safety; they are mainly decorative, since the flame is completely exposed. Open models are most often tabletop and hanging fireplaces. Closed and open fireplaces without heating are a tabletop home mini-hearth that does not emit hazardous and harmful combustion and decay products into the open space.
Important: a water-powered fireplace model is nothing more than a standard electric or bio fireplace with a steam generator or air humidifier!
Fuel
The best results when using biofireplaces can be achieved with biofuel containing 96-96.5% ethyl alcohol.
Our recommended biofuel, available in Russia, is ArtFlame. Sold in 1.5 liter packaging. This biofuel can be purchased at the trade exhibition center (metro station Serpukhovskaya) or at the exhibition complex "Expostroy" (metro station Nakhimovsky Prospekt), tel.. | The most common biofuel in Moscow is Fanola Premium, sold in 1.0 liter packaging. This biofuel can be ordered by phone. |
Advantages and disadvantages
A biofireplace is a heating installation that has its own positive and negative characteristics. Positive features of an eco-fireplace:
- The biofireplace is safe, while it is a source of thermal energy generation, has its own aesthetic characteristics, and produces a real flame without a chimney in the fireplace. During operation, heating the space with an eco-fireplace, you need to periodically ventilate the room. When choosing an installation, pay attention to the size, height, width, type, type of placement of the hearth;
- During the combustion process, the biofireplace does not emit harmful or life-threatening vapors or decomposition products into the air, nor does it emit soot or smoke;
- The hearth gives aesthetic pleasure and becomes the center of any room. You can choose a model with an air humidifier, steam generator, sound effects, lighting and other functionality;
- Eco-fireplace belongs to the economical category. The average operating time of the fireplace ranges from 30 minutes to 7 hours;
- Rapid heating of the structure, with gradual burning of fuel;
- Depending on the size and area of the apartment, a model with different power is selected;
- You do not need to legalize the installation of a biofireplace, since its use is allowed in any room. You can install a false fireplace in an apartment in an apartment building, in a country house, or in a private cottage. Biofireplaces are installed without a chimney and do not require complex and lengthy installation.
Rectangular wall-mounted fireplace for an apartment
Biofireplaces will be an alternative replacement for classic models.
Interesting: a model running on biofuel can be placed on the wall, near a partition, on a table, in a pre-prepared niche in the room: all options will be equally safe.
The disadvantages of biofireplaces include: the relatively high cost of bioethanol, the high cost of designer fireplaces, due to the brand, manufacturing materials, functionality and other features.
Important points when installing a chimney yourself
Combustion products passing through the chimney have a high temperature. And the section of the wall that runs next to the chimney becomes very hot and may even catch fire. Therefore, internal chimneys should not be installed in walls made of flammable building materials. These systems are also not recommended for powerful boilers.
An external chimney is installed in industrial enterprises with large heating systems. They are usually installed in a heated room area of over 600 square meters. Such a chimney is also installed if the installation of an internal chimney is associated with a number of difficulties. For example, in a room with concrete floors and walls, it will be easier to break through a slab than to gouge out a channel in the wall.
Installation of stainless steel and cast iron chimneys
Installation can be divided into several stages:
- Preparation of the channel for the chimney;
- Chimney installation;
- Installing insulation around the pipe.
The channel for the metal pipe must be several times larger than its diameter. To leave room for insulating material.
Chimney installation
Before installing the chimney, you need to adjust all pipes to length. The resulting structure must be placed in a previously prepared channel. Next, connect the condenser and stove to the system. The finish is considered to be the installation of the head.
To firmly fix the pipe, it is attached to the wall every one and a half meters.
When using a metal pipe, you need to attach it to the ceiling every half meter. In addition, the mounting holes must be made wider, about two pipe diameters.
Installing chimney pipes made of cast iron is justified, since such pipes will last much longer. But their installation is associated with certain difficulties. For example, cutting a cast iron pipe can only be done with a grinder.
Do-it-yourself sandwich chimney installation
When installing metal pipes, they are mounted like nesting dolls, and no additional fasteners are required to fix the pipe bends. The pipe elbows in these chimneys are connected to each other using construction glue.
Chimney pipes are very sensitive to condensation, so they are not used when installing external chimneys. If a sandwich chimney is installed correctly, the pipe will last up to 60 years.
Self-installation of an external chimney
The optimal material for the external chimney pipe is stainless steel. It is light in weight and can be easily processed with simple tools.
To install an external chimney made of stainless steel pipes, the following is required:
- Punch a hole in the pipe adjacent to the boiler. It should be located half a meter from the top of the heating system;
- Place fasteners on the outer wall at a distance of a meter from each other;
- Connect the chimney inlet to the boiler;
- Remove the bent pipe elbow from the room;
- Install the capacitor;
- Fix the pipe on the wall;
- Install the chimney head and its protection.
This completes the installation of the external chimney. We hope that our article will help you understand the installation and selection of a chimney pipe.
https://youtube.com/watch?v=L4j8Bi2Ns68
https://youtube.com/watch?v=L4j8Bi2Ns68
How to choose the right one?
Choosing a biofireplace requires certain knowledge, preliminary study of important information, and the features of this type of heating units.
First of all, we determine the interior design of the kitchen, room, dining room, living room. Built-in fireplace models require quite complex installation, serious financial and time costs, in contrast to standard floor and wall fireplaces. It is necessary to prepare a special niche; it is also possible to remodel the room.
To add additional realism, you can also imitate a chimney
Island models are more bulky, suitable for large apartments or dividing studios
Small models of biofireplaces and tabletop models are quite easy to select.
- Choose a suitable place in the room to place the firebox in the interior. Equip it in a suitable style and color design;
- The best option is to install a classic fireplace, which is always a priority. The hearth in the interior of a small room is most often represented by wall-mounted, wall-mounted, corner, tabletop models, which allow you to profitably save free space;
- The cost of biofireplaces is largely determined by its technical and operational characteristics, features, and materials of manufacture. Select the power of the fireplace; the larger the area of the room, the higher this indicator should be. The classic interior and built-in fireplaces combine most harmoniously. The cladding of such portals is made of natural stone, ceramic tiles or tiles. An interior in the style of minimalism, modern or high-tech, involves installing a fireplace made of glass or metal.
Fireplaces with an air humidification function are suitable for apartments with dry air. Such devices have a positive effect on children, as do similar models of fireplaces with steam or a steam generator.
- The varieties of eco-fireplaces are amazing, but when choosing, you should take into account your individual characteristics and budget;
- The choice of fireplaces is quite large and allows you to learn more and buy infrared fireplaces, which have an additional heating unit, a combustion center and operate through radiation;
- Reviews about biofireplaces are very diverse; you can find different opinions on the Internet. For example, many claim that they feel an unpleasant odor from the bio-fireplace when it is working, but in general, buyers are satisfied with their purchase.
Examples of hearth design in a modern style
The design of the hearth in the interior and its location largely depends on the characteristics of the apartment itself. Most often in modern and modern style, the TV is placed above the fireplace, which looks very stylish and original.
An island eco-fireplace allows you to zone a large space, a studio apartment. To do this, it is built into a wall, partition, furniture set or niche.
The location of an eco-fireplace in a one-room apartment also requires an individual approach. When furnishing a studio apartment, designers most often install wall-mounted, tabletop, built-in, portable fireboxes and models.
A small apartment allows you to install a tabletop or corner fireplace model, while the consumption of free space will be minimal.
You can divide a large room with a bio-fireplace into two zones. One part will become a living room, and the second a bedroom. If you rely on the teachings of Feng Shui, installing a fireplace in the bedroom can negatively affect your state of mind and family relationships. If you make this decision, it is better to buy a wall-mounted, built-in or tabletop fireplace for a home with a bedroom.
The portal cladding is made in the same style as the room chosen for installation
Marble fireplace trim
The fireplace area can be decorated with wood, ceramic tiles, tiles, natural or artificial stone. An apartment in a high-tech style implies the presence of fire-resistant tempered glass and steel elements. For high-tech, a hanging, built-in hearth is suitable.
Installing a fireplace in a small apartment is quite difficult; first of all, arrange the fireplace area, and use only proven ideas and the best designs from designers. A false fireplace looks good with candles, a mirror, flowers, posters, artificial logs, and decorative stones.
How to install a homemade fireplace?
Next, you can make a bio-fireplace yourself with your own hands. To assemble the hearth base we will need fireproof glass. At the first stage, a firebox is created in which bioethanol will be located and the fuel combustion process will take place.
For additional convenience, at the first stage you need to make a detailed drawing, with all the necessary measurements. The base is made of glass. The sides are cut out and glued together. A fuel tank is installed inside the glass structure. The next step is to attach the mesh to the top of the bio-fireplace along with the burner, which we will light so that the device can work.
You can complement your fireplace installation with a decorative firewood rack
As a decorative component, you can use various stones and other elements that have a high level of fire resistance! Both the self-made and store-bought biofireplace model is characterized by a high degree of safety and does not require certain conditions for use.
The height of the fireplace allows installation and installation even in a small apartment or small room.
Model selection
Types of stoves
When the device will be used only for heating, you should clarify the area that needs to be heated. If you plan to cook food on it, you need to take this into account when choosing. (See also the article Convection heater for a summer residence: features.)
Let's look at the most common designs.
View | Description |
Potbelly stove | Suitable when the heated area is small, and the owners only visit the dacha on short visits. These are very cheap stoves, but are a safe and effective way to ensure a comfortable temperature during the winter. |
Metal fireplace or stove | Such structures are made of stainless steel or cast iron. The latter option is preferable, as it has a higher efficiency. Fireplaces consume fuel faster, so it makes more sense to purchase a stove. The presence of cooking surfaces on it allows you to prepare food. The disadvantage is the high price. |
Brick oven | The most effective and fairly inexpensive design, which, with due diligence and skill, can be made with your own hands. It is rare to hear negative reviews about such a stove. It warms perfectly, accumulating heat inside itself, and also allows you to cook food. |
Modern potbelly stove
Requirements for country stoves
When choosing a model for use in a country house, you should pay attention to the following factors:
- simplicity and ergonomics of its operation in the specific conditions of a summer cottage;
- high efficiency, expressed in the ability to quickly heat a room using a small amount of fuel;
- small size, which is important for a cramped room or container unit;
- ease of igniting the firebox as needed - this is especially true when the stove is used for cooking;
- efficiency - maximum heat transfer when burning the selected fuel;
- the possibility of using alternative coolants - wood chips, briquettes, pallets and so on;
- low cost.
Country stove - compact, versatile and economical
In most cases, all these conditions are met by stoves sold in the domestic retail chain.