The fireplace is the personification of home warmth, coziness and comfort. An incomparable pleasure is to sit near the hearth, enjoying the crackling firewood, the unpretentious play of the tongues of flame. Until recently, many believed that it is possible to have a fireplace only in prestigious houses and, less often, in apartments. This is due to some complexity of the design, you need a specially designated place in the dwelling, you need to take care of fire safety, ensure the presence of a chimney, ventilation ducts, etc. In addition, there is a need for a qualified foreman who can perform high-quality installation.
As a result, the price of comfort and warmth is quite high. Therefore, the developers began to look for alternative solutions. Thus, electric, gas fireplaces and eco-fireplaces entered our everyday life. The latter, despite the fact that they appeared quite recently, became a real hit. Consider the pros and cons of this type of fireplace.
Benefits
- Environmental friendliness … Ecofuel is used as raw material to be burned. It is a safe ethanol-based blend. When used, it does not form toxic combustion products, therefore, does not pose a threat to humans and the environment.
- Mobility. Such a fireplace does not require the installation of chimney pipes, so it can be installed in an ordinary apartment, and for this you do not have to do any special redevelopment. Eco-fireplaces are very widespread among the owners of such housing as eco-houses.
- Fire safety. The frame and parts are made of high temperature resistant materials and heat resistant glass. As a rule, ecological fireplaces have a balanced shape, which reduces the risk of accidental overturning. However, during operation, it is still necessary to follow the general rules for handling open fire.
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disadvantages
- Low heat output … Due to the relatively small dimensions and small flame, adapting an eco-fireplace for heating is not the best idea, especially if the area of the room is large enough. They are physically incapable of heating a large room. Therefore, the prerogative of use is as an aesthetic element of the interior.
- Influence on air composition. Of course, ecological fuel does not emit harmful substances, but it should be remembered that an open fire significantly absorbs oxygen. Therefore, it is necessary to provide additional access to fresh air in the room.
- Insufficient availability of ecofuel. Unfortunately, fuel for such a fireplace is not easy to find in regular stores. And its cost is still quite high.
The design of ecological fireplaces can be very diverse. These can be classic types that imitate a conventional stationary fireplace, as well as models in the form of ovens, glass, oval and round. By type of location, they can be floor-standing, wall-mounted and even table-top, which are very small in size. Of the decorations, ceramic dummies of logs are popular, which give the fireplace a completely realistic look.
There is an opinion that eco-fireplaces are expensive. Recently, however, this situation has changed somewhat. Now you can easily choose an economy-class fireplace model.
As for consumer reviews of this type of fireplaces, it should be noted that most of them are satisfied with this purchase. In particular, they are noted as the most economical. Comparing the time and money spent on the installation of a stationary fireplace, many come to the conclusion that a portable fireplace powered by ecofuel will be much cheaper both in purchase and in operation.
Adherents of the idea of preserving a clean ecology also make a choice in favor of an eco-fireplace, since this type excludes the ingress of toxic substances into the atmosphere. For the same reason, people prone to allergic reactions also buy such models. For some people, design mobility is important, as well as a variety of design options.
The disadvantages most often include the failure of an eco-fireplace as a heating element. Often, consumers are faced with such a problem as high fuel consumption, which, moreover, is also problematic to get. However, most often this is due to the fact that by setting the burner mode to the maximum level, the owner tries to use the device as a heater, for which, as we have already noted, the eco-fireplace is completely unsuitable.
