AUTOMATED BURNERS: BIOFIRES’ BUYING GUIDE

AUTOMATED BURNERS: BIOFIRES’ BUYING GUIDE

Bioethanol automated fireplaces are extremely modern. So much so that many people might be unfamiliar with these products and puzzled when it comes to purchasing one. Well, of course, we are here to provide some guidance.

In this niche market, there are not many manufacturers in Europe and in the world, and certainly Planika is a brand that is very popular in the UK currently. This is a Polish manufacturer of bioethanol, gas, and water vapour burners and fireplaces.

Their range is varied, but when it comes to bioethanol, Planika has the longest experience in automated burners, and no surprise that theirs is also the most advanced technology, which is called BEV – Burning Ethanol Vapours.

Such technology is the most sophisticated and surely provides the best optimization in terms of consumption and heat output. However, it also requires rooms with proportionate minimum cubature and minimum distances from devices, that not always match the original project the client had in mind.

Another European high-end company BioFires works with is Glammfire, a premier Portuguese manufacturer of bioethanol, gas, wood burning, electric and water vapour burners, fireplaces, and barbeques. Their range is also wide and varied and their style is definitely very artistic. Regarding their automated bioethanol burners, the technology they use is classic, meaning that the flame is produced directly from the burning liquid and not from vapour. Even though these burners do produce a lot of heat, compared to Planika, their output is slightly reduced, but on the other end, this allows more flexibility in terms of minimum room cubature and distances from devices.

As mentioned, Planika and Glammfire offer a large variety of solutions. You can choose the product that works best for you amongst various sizes, flame power and heat output levels, customisable features, different settings options, and, finally, price ranges.

But how do you choose which burner works best?

Well, there are a couple of things that you need to take into consideration to begin with:

  •         Whether you need an indoor or outdoor fireplace
  •         In case of indoor settings, you need to check your room size
  •         How long the fireplace is going to be in use during the day
  •         Whether it will be a media wall fireplace
  •         Your ideal budget

INDOOR OR OUTDOOR

While, generally speaking, gas fireplaces and fire pits or wood burning barbeques are most commonly used in outdoor settings, both Planika and Glammfire have interesting bioethanol solutions that you may like to consider. Their outdoor models provide warmth and cosiness together with aesthetically pleasing designs and finishes. The choice much depends on the use you are going to make of your outdoor fireplace, of course. For example, you need to take into consideration that bioethanol fires are mainly decorative; their heat output is lower than gas or wood-burning fires, and they are not suitable for applications such as cooking. They are the least polluting, though they still produce a nice real flame and heat, and they do not require maintenance of any sort.

ROOM CUBATURE REQUIREMENTS FOR INDOOR SETTING

Bioethanol fireplaces generate a clean burn, and this is the reason why they do not need a chimney. However, like any other fire that stems from combustion, bioethanol ones also take oxygen from the room. Therefore, automated burners usually feature oxygen detection sensors and switch off automatically in case it gets too low. Consequently, you do want to check what your room cubature is (width, height, length), so that you can choose the most appropriate burner size and output.

COMMERCIAL OR RESIDENTIAL USE

As mentioned above, bioethanol fireplaces are mainly decorative, but compared to manual ones, automated models can produce a lot of heat depending also on the size of the burner, of course. Normally, commercial settings need their fireplaces to stay on longer, due to their opening times, and also because of their wider environments, for example, hotel halls, spa swimming pools, restaurants lounges, etc. Generally speaking, commercial settings require larger sizes, and in such projects, it is important to consider also a proportionate balance between the fireplace and the air conditioning, as larger burners do produce a lot of heat.

For residential settings instead, smaller sizes are often sufficient, as average living rooms nowadays are 12-30m² (approx. 30-75m³), and most people would use their fireplace for entertainment, which means a couple of hours a day during the coolest seasons. If the project includes an open-plan layout, then larger sizes could be used as well, but again, always bearing in mind the amount of heat that automated burners can produce, as also in residential properties there are central heating or air-conditioning systems.

MEDIA WALL OR NOT MEDIA WALL, THIS IS THE QUESTION

Another tricky aspect when choosing an automated bioethanol burner for your living room concerns the TV you want - or maybe not – to place above it. Placing a television above a fireplace is, in fact, an operation that implies considering more critical points, such as the height of the television on the wall  -as usually, you want to watch TV from a seated position- the building materials and the design features surrounding the fireplace and the electronic devices, and the minimum distance – required by the manufacturer - between the flame and the TV so that the latter doesn’t get damaged by the heat.

DO YOU HAVE AN IDEAL BUDGET IN MIND?

Finally, you need to be aware that, compared to most manual models, automated bioethanol fireplaces are not exactly that inexpensive. The main reason is of course the sophisticated technology they feature, which allows for best optimization of fuel consumption, a more sculpted and controlled flame, and higher heat outputs. However, if it is a modern-looking design that you are trying to create, an automated fireplace is definitely the best option. Depending on the project you have in mind – including the whole room design and the fireplace surrounds - you can evaluate whether to go for the additional manufacturer’s casing (recommended if you are using combustible materials), or not. Choosing the whole fireplace inclusive of the firebox reflects in a change in price, of course. Another metric that reflects on price is the type of burner you go for: more essential models are normally more economical than fully customizable or bespoke ones.

BURNERS AND BUILT-IN FIREPLACES

Let’s see then BioFires’ best selection of automated bioethanol burners. Our selection is of course based on experience. In more than 20 years of business, not only have we followed the whole development of the market from the very beginning and at every step until now, testing a lot of products and brands in time, but we have also studied many projects - of which some looked like they had reached their dead end, before getting to us. Therefore, we have always looked for as many solutions as possible to meet the widest possible range of requirements and needs, always putting safety and functionality first.

PLANIKA

There are three popular burner models made by Planika: FLA4/FLA4+, PRIME FIRE, and NEO. Here is a table with the main differences:

 



All these models are for indoor use and have safety features such as child safety lock, temperature, spillage, overfill, fuel level, and CO2 sensors for live sensor data collection and diagnostic, as well as automatic shut down in case of irregularities. Only the FLA4/FLA4+ have an additional tilt and shock sensor.All of them also come with remote control. Additionally, the FLA4/FLA+ and the PRIME FIRE burners include the mobile control app. Even though FLA4/FLA4+ and PRIME FIRE have different stages of flame, in the same sizes the maximum and the minimum stages are the same. The flame, and therefore the output, are reduced in NEO instead, but this, in case of media wall fireplaces, makes it possible for the TV to be placed in a lower position. Finally, you can have decorative accessories on all these models. However, for each model Planika provides specific sets of logs or pebbles which come on trays, to make sure that they are placed in the correct position and not on top of the flame. Fake accessories can, in fact, deteriorate in the long run if exposed to the flame constantly, creating dust or debris that would damage the mechanisms. Therefore, it is important that they are not in direct contact with the fire line.

FLA4 WITH LOGS

FLOGS (FLA4 with logs) is the latest model issued by Planika to make the aesthetics of modern automated burners more like a traditional log burning fireplace. Just another genius idea of Planika’s engineers to create the best visual illusion ever seen so far in the automated bioethanol burners range. As mentioned above, accessories cannot be placed on top of the flame, but with FLOGS that is what you see: flames coming from underneath the logs as if these were burning for real. This is the most authentic look ever achieved with automated burners while ensuring that the mechanisms are safe from debris.



The burner itself is a FLA4, therefore, you have the more powerful flame that you can also adjust in six stages, and the additional tilt and shock sensor. However, currently FLOGS only comes in one size and in a standard black powder coated finish. For more information about this model, please visit the dedicated page on our website.

GLAMMFIRE

As mentioned above, the second brand offered on BioFires website is Glammfire, which concentrated all their energy on one unique automated bioethanol model, called Crea7ioEVOPlus Fire Line.

Their technology is different, GlammFire's is more elementary than Planika's, as it doesn't involve vapour (BEV Technology). So, with CREA7IONEVOPLUS the flame is generated by bioethanol liquid burning directly. However, this is also the reason why GlammFire's product can be more flexible in terms of settings and design project feasibility, as the whole functioning and the heat output are different. Nonetheless, Glammfire's burners and fireplaces are very efficient and create beautiful flames and focal points, which is why, like Planika's, they are used in many high-end projects. Although they facilitate more unique designs, their tanks are smaller. To give you a practical example of what this means, with a Planika burner in a media wall, the minimum distance between the flame and the device is 90cm (except for rare occasions that need to be verified and confirmed by the manufacturer), with the TV recessed into the wall or a shelf in between to protect it from the heat. With a Glammfire burner, there is no minimum distance set in stone. Each project is evaluated on its own. The distance depends on settings and materials, and like Planika’s, also Glammfire’s engineering department always welcomes projects to be overlooked and checked to ensure that everything works properly. Smaller tanks also mean less capacity and shorter burning time, but also an easier fit when the available space for the niche is limited or in case of shallower depth.



Glammfire's burners come with remote control and are equipped with the same sensors you find in a Planika FLA4/FLA4+ which is to say safety lock, temperature, spillage, overfill, fuel level, and smothering sensors, for live sensor data collection and diagnostic, and automatic shut down in case of abnormal combustion. They are also compatible with Smart Home Systems.  

CREA7IONEVOPLUS ROUND: SOFTNESS THAT ONLY CURVES CAN CREATE

Round shapes have always been underestimated in interior design thinking, but you must concede, they are the best to add softness and warmth to spaces. After all, there is a reason why people prefer gatherings around a round table rather than a rectangular one. ‘Round’ brings things and people together, making everything cosier. But rectangular shapes have always been easier to estimate, manufacture, transport, etc.




Not for GLAMMFIRE. Here is where you can admire real artisan mastery: their range is full of round-shaped models, and their fireplaces are proper metal artwork pieces. Just a look at their catalogue will suffice to give you a better and straightforward idea of what we mean .Glammfire’s round shapes are alternatives to edgy corners, and their round burner can integrate well with any surface, as the top plate’s finish can be customized to match the rest of the fireplace. Crea7ionEVOPlus Round only comes in one size with the same technology and safety features of the standard Fireline. For more information about this model, please visit the dedicated page on our website.

WHEN YOU SHOULD GO FOR A FIREBOX

When building up a fireplace from scratch, surroundings are paramount, and clearance distances must be met to prevent combustible materials from reaching ignition temperatures. However, you really want that fireplace at the bottom centre of the wooden bookcase and cabinet, and you don’t know how to make woodwork and fire work together without things getting too ‘lit’.

Well, the easiest way to avoid a hellish scenario in this case is to buy not only the burner but also the dedicated casing – offered by all manufacturers- which consists of an insulated firebox that keeps the fireplace’s internal walls’ temperature under control and prevents its external side from heating up. Yes, these boxes can be installed in and against wooden structures. They are double-layered and either exploit temperature difference to draw in cool air between the two layers of metal or an additional rockwool layer between the two metal ones to insulate the heat.

Be aware, though, that this doesn’t mean that you can have a TV at any height above it. Even when the fireplace is inside a firebox it still produces a lot of heat that rises, so you need to make sure that your device is protected.

AND THAT’S IT

We think and hope that things are clearer now, and maybe you are a bit more aware of what it takes to have one of those beautiful modern fireplaces that you see more often in interior design magazines and websites. However, we perfectly know that each project has its own puzzling points, so please don’t be shy and contact us anytime for assistance or suggestions.

 

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