Troubleshooting

How to use a BioFire?

What Will the New EU Regulations Regarding Bio Fires Change?

The manufacturers of bio ethanol fireplaces will be expected to take greater care in inspecting their production as well as labelling the products themselves and making sure that the instructions manual provides all the necessary safety precautions. At present, the lack of regulation is leaving a lot of these things completely at the manufacturer’s discretion, so you may often find that very cheap and mass-produced products do not call for the much needed care and attention when using the fireplaces or burners. When buying fires from an unknown source, it is often impossible to get in touch with the sellers in case you have any concerns. Do make sure that you buy your fireplace from a reputable company which provides some aftercare and is easily contactable during working hours.

The costs of testing and certification for bio ethanol fireplaces – as for any other products – is very expensive, so as a result of the new EU regulations regarding liquid fuel fireplaces you may observe that the prices of fires will go up quite significantly. Before the EU regulations will become a part of national legislation in the UK, there may be quite a lot of concerns and doubts and confusion regarding bio fuel fireplaces. We may also expect some sensational stories about accidents and supposed dangers of using bio fires. We are sure that tabloids and online media will not miss an opportunity to turn any genuine accident into a drama. Watch out for this and do not let the media deprive you of your own common sense and well-informed opinions.

Of course, bio fires are real fires, if you put your hand in the flame – it will burn you, if you place a tabletop burner next to the net curtain on your windowsill – it will cause a fire and this could be very dangerous, similarly to a situation of causing life threatening danger if you smoke a cigarette while filling your car with petrol. There are numerous dangerous items in our everyday life and as long as we use them according to the instructions and with common sense – no problems occur. Accidents resulting from the end user’s negligence or lack of consideration are bound to happen with nearly all electrical and most mechanical devices which we use in our daily life.

What the EU regulations are aiming to change is to limit the situation where accidents are happening due to lack of customer information and simple precautions – like graphic emblems on the actual fireplace. We are in the business of bringing a cosy flame into our customers’ households and, as such, it is in our highest interest to support and work with any official body enhancing the safety of bio ethanol fireplaces and – as a result – creating a pleasant, fear-free experience for our buyers.

Common issues

I have a fireplace with a Small Burner.

The fuel won’t light.

- which is already within the burner – it will not manage to get a fresh “breath” of oxygen in before it extinguishes itself. You need to top up the fuel level up to AT LEAST 3/4 of the burner capacity and start again. REMEMBER to top up your fuel level every time you light your fire. If you only used half of the fuel, you can re-use the remaining liquid, but before lighting – TOP IT UP.

- The second reason for fuel not lighting or extinguishing itself as soon as you light it – even if your fuel level is high – is the fact that the fuel may be too cold. Ethanol MAY NOT LIGHT IF IT IS COLD. Try keeping a couple of bottles handy in a cupboard at a room temperature to avoid this. In case you have cold fuel in the container and struggle to light it, use a long lighter and hold the flame on the surface of the liquid for approximately 30 seconds. This will allow the top level of fuel to warm up a bit and should keep the flame on- .

The fire makes a “whoosh” sound when igniting.

- This can happen and there is nothing to worry about when your fuel level is high (3/4 of the container’s capacity or up to the MAX marking) – just keep a safe distance. If you are worried, use your control tool to light the fire. Dip the end of the tool in the fuel and light it outside of your burner, then carry the long burning tool to the fireplace, it will give you an extra arm’s length.

- If your FUEL LEVEL IS LOW IN THE BURNER – your fireplace may ‘splash out’ tiny drops of fuel when igniting, apart from making a noise. ALWAYS FOLLOW THE INSTRUCTIONS and top up your fireplace before lighting.

The fire gives off a bad odour.

Ethanol fireplaces are virtually odourless, but we never say that they are completely odourless, as nothing that burns a real flame can be! However, the very slight scent should not bother you and if it’s more than subtle – IT IS VERY LIKELY THAT YOUR ACCESSORIES ARE TOO CLOSE TO THE FLAME. Ceramic logs, pebbles, driftwood, etc., will produce an unpleasant odour when the flame is constantly touching them. Try rearranging your accessories so they do not cross or constantly touch the flame. Bio ethanol fireplace accessories may only be positioned around the flame, never across it or too close to it.

There is some liquid underneath the burner after using it.

There is some liquid underneath the burner after using it.

There is nothing wrong with your fire. The liquid in the safety tray is a small amount of vapour condensation, which could gather at the bottom of the safety tray. It does not pose any danger and is nothing to be concerned about.

To explain this, when you extinguish the flame with fuel still in the burner (after using it for an hour, for example), condensation will form on the bottom of the lid. This is completely normal. Some of it might drip by the side of the lid to the bottom of the tray. It will normally evaporate by the next time you use it, but in case it doesn’t, it is still fine to use the fireplace. It should not affect the burning or the flame. There is a very slight chance that this liquid would get alight when using the fireplace for the second time before it dries out. If this happens and you want to extinguish the fireplace, do so by sliding the lid backwards and forwards rapidly a few times; otherwise, it will burn out naturally.

The Aura Fragrance Oil left stains on my lid.

If you spill any oil outside the Fragrance Diffuser reservoirs, try not to leave it to dry up on the lid. If the stains are minor, just use hot water and dishwashing liquid; if the stains are older and more persistent, you can clean the lid by soaking it in hot (even boiling) soapy water and then slowly but firmly cleaning the stained areas with the ‘rough’ side of a dishwashing sponge or gently scratching it off with a sharp tool.

These are the most common problems and questions related to the fireplaces featuring the Small Bio Burner. If your problem is not described here, please email us.

Please always make sure that you read the instructions attached with your fireplace in the box; if you have misplaced them or the sheet was missing from your order, please find a copy here.

Problems

I have a Tabletop Burner.

My tabletop fire lasts too short!

If you have purchased one of the smallest tabletop fireplaces (Cube Burner or Crescent Burner) then – unfortunately – there is nothing we can do to extend your burning time :

  • Tabletop burners are beautiful decorative pieces, but they only hold a very small container, so the flame will only last about 45-60 mins depending on the air flow in your room. Without sounding cheeky, we would suggest that you keep your small tabletop burner for the patio, garden, etc., and purchase a slightly bigger unit. Bow Burners will last for approximately 2 h, while any fireplace featuring the Small Burner will last between 3-5 h from a 1 L refill.

My tabletop fire gives off a smell.

Small tabletop fireplaces should not give off any significant smell so if you smell an unpleasant odour, double check that nothing is obstructing the flame. Anything in the flame will produce odour. The Cube, Crescent, Bow or Honeycomb burners will not normally have any flame obstruction unless you put something in or next to the container. The bio ethanol burner will produce a very slight alcohol smell, so insignificant that it doesn’t bother 99% of our customers; however, we never say that our fires are completely odourless as they are burning with a real flame.

Where do I put the fragrance oil?

Tabletop burners do not have a fragrance diffuser, but you can use the oil in a bit of a DIY way. You can use a tiny tea-light tin (made of aluminium), fill it up with some water and add a few drops of oil. Then put it close to the flame, so the whole aluminium tin heats up and diffuses the fragrance. Watch the video for Honeycomb Burner, which also applies to Bow Burners and Cube Burner (you can also place drops of oil on the decorative stones of the Cube Burner).

I have a BIO CONTAINER (38 cm or 46 cm long).

My fire will not light.

The construction of the Bio Container is kept simple and it is the nature of the product that you DO HAVE TO TOP IT UP EVERY TIME YOU USE IT. Similarly to the above-mentioned Small Burner, Bio Container will not light if your fuel level is too low. ATTENTION! 1-2 mm in fuel level CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE with this model! If you struggle to light the fire, make sure you fill it up very carefully right to the top, until the fuel begins to even up with the opening’s top. BE VERY CAREFUL NOT TO OVERFILL the fireplace. If YOUR CONTAINER HAS BEEN OVERFILLED, YOU MUST NOT LIGHT THE FIREPLACE! After using the fireplace a couple of times, you will understand the principle. The process becomes easy, but you do need to be particularly careful the first time.

Here is a tutorial for you: