A safe open fire has a calming effect on a person. After all, it creates an atmosphere of comfort and warmth. But not everyone has the opportunity to build a fireplace in their home or on the site. A great alternative to this device can be a biofireplace - a living fire without smoke and ash. Unlike the traditional version, the biofireplace does not involve the arrangement of a chimney, since no harmful substances are released during the biofuel combustion process.
What is a biofireplace and what is it good for?
Biofireplaces can be safely called the new generation of traditional wood-burning fireplaces and heating devices. Real living flame, resulting from the combustion of biofuels created on the basis of alcohols, does not emit soot and smoke and does not leave traces of burning and soot.
They can be installed both in open areas of a suburban area and indoors in a house. But since open fire has the ability to burn oxygen, the room in which the makeshift fireplace burns needs to be ventilated periodically.
Depending on the location of the device, several types of biofireplaces are distinguished: wall, floor and table.
Depending on the size of the structure, biofireplaces can have from one to several fuel blocks - burners. Bioethanol, which does not leave combustion products, is most often used as fuel.
Biofireplaces have a lot of advantages: ease of installation, does not require the installation of a chimney, there is no dirt from firewood, there is no soot and soot. The only drawback of popular heating devices is their price. However, masters with basic knowledge and construction skills will be able to confirm that making a bio fireplace with your own hands is not so difficult.
We invite you to watch a video where the simplest model of a biofireplace is constructed so that you understand how simple it is:
Self-made bio fireplace methods
Design # 1 - a miniature desktop device
To make a table fire we need:
- Glass and glass cutter;
- Silicone sealant (for gluing glasses);
- Metal grid;
- Metal box under the base of the structure;
- Fuel tank;
- Non-combustible composite materials;
- Lace-wick;
- Fuel for a biofireplace;
To equip the fireplace screen, you can use ordinary window glass 3 mm thick or glass with photo frames.
As a metal mesh base, a baking tray for an oven, a barbecue grill or a stainless steel construction mesh is perfect. To equip a tank for fuel, you can use a metal cup. The fuel block of a biofireplace is easiest to make from a metal planter of a square or rectangular shape.
Dimensions of the design depend only on the wishes of the master. However, when calculating the dimensions, it should be borne in mind that the distance from the burner to the side windows should not exceed 15 cm. At the same time, if the glass is too close to the open flame, it is likely that it will burst. The number of burners is determined taking into account the dimensions of the site or room. On average, on a 16-square-meter area, a tabletop biofireplace with one burner is enough.
Having decided on the dimensions of the structure and taking into account the dimensions of the lower part of the biofireplace - a metal fuel block, we cut 4 glass blanks.
Carefully connecting and gluing all the glass elements, we leave the screen until the sealant completely dries. It is convenient to clean the remnants of dried silicone sealant with an ordinary blade.
We proceed to the arrangement of the fuel block.
We make a mesh flooring: we cut out a rectangle from a metal grid using scissors for metal, the size of which corresponds to the dimensions of the box.
We twist the wick from the lace and immerse one of its ends in a container with fuel. We cover the metal mesh itself with heat-resistant stones, decorate it with ceramic logs and other non-combustible materials.
Desktop bio fireplace is ready. It remains only to install a glass box on the metal block and set fire to the wick soaked with fuel.
Construction # 2 - angular variation for the gazebo
The corner version of the biofireplace is interesting because it can be safely placed in the corner of the arbor or porch. Occupying a minimum of space, it will bring notes of coziness and comfort to the atmosphere, conducive to a pleasant stay.
To make an angular structure, we need:
- Guide and rack metal profile 9 m long;
- 1 sheet of non-combustible drywall;
- 2 sq.m of mineral (basalt) wool;
- Finishing gypsum putty;
- 2.5 sq.m of tile or artificial stone;
- Grout and heat-resistant adhesive for tile;
- Dowel-nails and screws;
- Capacity for fuel;
- Heat resistant stones and non-combustible decorative elements.
Having decided on the location and design of the future hearth for the competent calculation of the necessary materials and visualization of the image on a sheet of paper, we draw a sketch, observing the proportions. Then you can tinker, it is best to start with the markup.
After checking the verticality of the structure using a plumb line, we attach the frame to the wall using dowels, nails and screws. It is advisable to fasten the fireplace racks with jumpers.
At the bottom of the furnace, we leave a recess in which we will subsequently install the burner. Since during the operation of the hearth the temperature around the burner can reach 150 ° C, the base of the fuel part is made of rigid non-combustible material.
After completing the work, overwrite the seams with a special grout.
It is convenient to use a special tank or a cylindrical burner as a container for biofuel. To ensure the safety of loved ones, the front wall of the biofireplace can be covered with heat-resistant glass and a forged fireplace grate.
We make fuel for such a hearth
The fuel for the bio-fireplace is bio-ethanol - a liquid without color and odor, containing alcohol and acting as a substitute for gasoline. Its main advantage is that during combustion it does not emit harmful gases and does not leave soot and soot after itself. Therefore, biofuel fireplaces do not require the installation of hoods, due to which one-hundred-percent heat transfer is achieved. And besides, in the process of burning bioethanol due to the released water vapor, air is humidified.
Fuel for a biofireplace can be made with your own hands. This will require:
- Medical alcohol 90-96 degrees;
- Gasoline for Zippo lighters.
Gasoline is able to turn a blue laboratory flame into a living center of orange. It is only necessary to mix these two components in such a proportion that gasoline makes up 6-10% of the volume of medical alcohol. Shake the finished composition well and pour it into the fuel tank. Fuel consumption is 100 ml per 1 hour of combustion.
After igniting the fuel for the first 2-3 minutes, until a small flame within a radius of a few meters from the biofireplace, a slight smell of alcohol is felt. But as the fuel heats up, when the fumes begin to burn, and not the liquid itself, the smell quickly dissipates, and the flame becomes lively and playful.