bio ethanol fires

temperance

Hi does anyone have experience of bioethanol fires as have been looking to buy one but can't fine any reviews.

Mary_Hartnell

Bioethanol isn't that mentholated spirits under a posh sounding modern name?

Possibly the product the farm support policies trying to make a petrol substitute for the oil industry?

Sooki

I'm looking to purchase a small bio ethanol fire, for aesthetics and having an alternative heat source, but the only places that are selling the fuel appear to be online.

Also I live in an old house and have looked into reinstating the open fires and also gas and the expense of
Regulation compliance for something we don't use that often seems crazy, and the bio ethanol option looks like a really convenient alternative.

I'm not keen on getting fuel sent by mail does anyone know any more about this fuel, is the same as bio-diesel for vehicles etc.. I've done Internet searches and am not getting anywhere.

suki1964

Ethanol is alcohol

Bio ethanol is the fermentation of natural sugars found in forestry and agricultural products

Will be the same as getting a bottle of vodka sent through the post

Sooki

But I can pop across the road and buy vodka, sadly they don't sell the fuel I want, and I'm not setting light to the spirits to keep warm!

I had a search in b&q but no joy! Fire shops only seem interested in things they can install?

Trouble with Internet shopping is you have to be in when they deliver , this is rarely convenient and most delivery companies are rarely 100% reliable.

suki1964

Sooki wrote: »

But I can pop across the road and buy vodka, sadly they don't sell the fuel I want, and I'm not setting light to the spirits to keep warm!

I had a search in b&q but no joy! Fire shops only seem interested in things they can install?

Trouble with Internet shopping is you have to be in when they deliver , this is rarely convenient and most delivery companies are rarely 100% reliable.

At an average of 3 quid a litre - is it really economical?

Most internet companies will deliver to a work place

Mary_Hartnell

Sooki wrote: »

I'm looking to purchase a small bio ethanol fire, for aesthetics and having an alternative heat source, but the only places that are selling the fuel appear to be online.

Also I live in an old house and have looked into reinstating the open fires and also gas and the expense of
Regulation compliance for something we don't use that often seems crazy, and the bio ethanol option looks like a really convenient alternative.

I'm not keen on getting fuel sent by mail does anyone know any more about this fuel, is the same as bio-diesel for vehicles etc.. I've done Internet searches and am not getting anywhere.

In this country it probably has to be sold as "Meths". All these chemicals can be simple are derivatives of natural gas, which is methane (CH4 that is one carbon and 4 hydrogen) Methanol is CH3OH (one of the hydrogen atoms replaced by oxygen & hydrogen already reacted together - can be drunk but makes you blind as well as p*ss*d)
Next step up is ethane (C2H6), this makes what we drink as alcohol C2H5(OH) - keep going adding more to the chain of carbon atoms and you will pass through propane and butane.......eventually you will have a plastic. (If you have a ordinary Bic ball point on your desk that little bit of fake bronze down by the tip started life as natural gas).

The cheapest "meths" - ethyl alcohol contaminated with methyl and other nasty additives to make it difficult to drink - I've bought recently, came from GOoutdoors.co.uk "34 stores and 3 more opening for Xmas".

Phew it has gone up somewhat since last year!!

http://www.gooutdoors.co.uk/bartoline-methylated-spirit-meths-5-litre-p143040

No wonder the Poles are setting up methyl alchol distilleries in lock up garages and the French still have mobile stills that go round the farms making "moonshine".

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alkane

Sooki

suki1964 wrote: »

At an average of 3 quid a litre - is it really economical?

Most internet companies will deliver to a work place

Good idea, but sadly I can't take delivery shopping at work, so internet shopping in a nightmare.

Sooki

Mary, thank you for you post you are seriously knowledgeable.

Greenfires

The bioethanol is produced from fermentation of stuff like sugar cane and corn - hence the "bio" bit. It's quite widely used in the USA and Brazil as a vehicle fuel.

As far as using it as a fuel goes, it's pretty similar to meths, which as Mary explained is basically ethanol contaminated with stuff to make it unpalatable, though for use in stoves and decorative heaters bioethanol is often sold in a gelled form.

We had a metal dinner table centrepiece burner at one time which used the gelled stuff. Not particularly impressive in terms of flame picture or heat output it has to be said! Don't think it's ever been used again since the original bottle of fuel ran out - and frankly I wouldn't think it would make much difference at all to the warmth in a room, unless these bioethanol fires are set up in a different way to get more heat out of the stuff.

Cheers,

Andy

bernithebiker

Don't bother, the heat output is truly feeble.

It's just for the look, and expensive to run too.