Rumours About Flueless Gas Fires

I've heard large amounts of feedback from colleagues working in the industry that they are repeatedly hearing back from customers saying that they can't find a fitter to install their shiny new flueless gas fire.
A number of excuses have been passed on from fitters and there have been rumours regarding flueless gas fires, a number are addressed below and can hopefully straigten a few facts out.
1) Carbon Monoxide Poisioning.
One of the main rumours that I have heard regarding flueless gas fires is the risk of Carbon Monoxide poisoning. This is a risk with any gas fire and is slightly more likely to occur in a conventionally flued fireplace rather than a flueless gas fire. Conventionally flued gas fires rely on a flue that can become blocked with debris or even a birds nest that could fall down the chimney pot. With Flueless Gas Fires that have been correctly fitted by a GasSafe registered engineer and serviced annually as suggest by all fire manufacturers then ther should not be a problem with any flueless gas fire/stove, Esse even offer a 10 year catalytic converter guarentee! Flueless gas fires, if fitted and maintained correctly are inherently safe and this is one of the reasons, along with their impressive reliability and longevity, they are the only type of fires that are available in Tokyo, Austailia and many U.S states.

2)Decorative Only, Dont Give Out Heat
Tests show that flueless catalytic gas fires produce over 3 times more heat per kilowatt input than conventional flued or vented gas fires, and over 12 times more heat than most decorative, open gas fires, both of which tend to lose more than 75% of the heat of the chimney. This means than three quarters of your heat energy isn't actually heating your room, it's contributing to global warming!

3)Requires Drafty Air Brick Ventilation.

This rumour is a common misconception of the ventilation required for a flueless gas fire. Although they do require ventilation in the room but this ventilation only needs to allow a free passage of air of 100cm2, although this sounds a lot the total size of the air vent can be as little as two post-it notes stuck side by side and when situated in a sheltered area, normally across the room from where the flueless fire is situated then any drafts should be minimised, these would normally be less than what you would experience with a conventional or powered flue gas fire as the ventilation area is considerably smaller than the size of a chimney or powered flue opening.

4) Smell

There are some rumours running around the internet that Flueless gas fires give off an odour when in use. When first used then ALL gas fires, whether flueless, balanced flue conventional flue or stove will emit some odour as the fire is first used, this is caused by the setting and curing of any heat resistant paint or adhesives used in the construction of the fire and are typically non-toxic and harmless and after a couple of hours on full will be gone for the life of the fire.

As for Flueless gas fires, they only emit Carbon Dioxide and Water vapour as products of combustion, neither of these gases have any odour so a flueless gas fire should not give off any odour.

New Bemodern Range of LED Electric Fires

Bemodern Fires have recently unveiled their latest range of inset electric fires. These fires incorporate the unique and very interesting LED flame effect that has been utilised on the Bemodern Orlando and Arizona hang on the wall electric fire. See the flame effect here.

This highly original flame effect, in my opinion, is a vast improvement over almost any flame effect on the market, it is eyecatching and almost has a level of unpredictability that just isnt possible with a normal ribbon flame effect.

The Bemodern range of LED inset fires uses the styling and high quality finish on existing Bemodern inset fires such as the Bemodern Savannah or the Abbey inset electric fire. All the LED inset electric fires from Bemodern feature a quiet fan heater with a maximum heat output of 2kW that will quickly take the cold edge off of most living spaces. While the LED flame effect creates a great image while being incredibly low-cost to run, with the high-quality LED's that could run for up to 100,000 hours before needing to be replaced. So if you had the LED flame effect on for 8 hours a day, 7 days a week and 365 days a year then it would be almost 24 years before you would need to replace the fire!

The Bemodern Abbey takes this innovative flame effect and combines it with the traditionally styled Cast-Iron Effect Arches that would help this fire blend well with any traditionally styled decor. The Abbey also features a thermostat to maintain that comfortable temperature, and help make life that extra little bit easier.

The Bemodern Enrico LED Electric fire is another popular inset electric with a very popular and contemporary brushed steel finish. The Enrico features a very realistic coal fuel bed that works brilliantly with the LED flame effect. Both versions of the fire are displayed below, as you can see the standard Enrico on the right uses the very conventional and standard ribbon flame effect, whereas the LED version on the left provides a far more realistic flame image, moving away from the smooth edges of the ribbons that detract from the flame image and moving towards the unpredictable and almost random edges provided by the LED flame effect. The upward movement of the LED flame effect also adds life to the flame effect and makes it even more realistic.The Bemodern Camberly is another inset electric fire that has been rejuvinated with the inclusion of the LED flame effect is the Camberley, this fire uses the traditional buttress style fret, available in black, chrome or brass. The polished brass finish looks very bright and highly impressive, combining the latest LED flame image with a bright and impressive traditionally styled inset electric fire.

Whereas the Camberley inset electric with the ribbon fuel effect unfortunately doesnt quite have the same sort of presence, this is probably due the the new deep level trim employed on the Camberley that gives the fire more stature on the hearth and also adds to the feel of a real fire rather than a slimline electric.

The Bemodern LED flame effect is an innovative flame effect and is available across a wide range of Bemodern inset electric fires as well as the highly desirable Orlando, Arizona and Quattro hang on the wall electric fires with more fires almost certainly in development!

Drugasar Cosmo

The Ultimate balanced flue and design statement is the Drugasar Cosmo Balanced Flue Gas Fire. The Cosmo features a huge and realistic log fuel effect and looks stunning with the natural profile interior to really give the feel of a real log fire.

The Cosmo is available in either a tunnel or single sided versions and features the Drugasar balanced flue system that allows the fire to be situated almost anywhere in the property, rather than just on an external wall, as is the case with most other balanced flue fires, Available as standard as a frameless fire with no exterior trim the Cosmo gives the ultimate hole in the wall, minimalist look and feel or when used in conjunction with the Murano surround creates an ultra-contemporary focal point for any space.

Featuring the renowned DRU Vario-Burner System that creates a stunning glow around the hearth that adds to the illusion of realism with this beautiful gas fire. The Cosmo comes as standard with remote control to allow easy control from almost anywhere in the room! The remote also features a thermostat function that allows the fire to automatically adjust to keep the room at the desired temperature, this is perfect for keeping the fire on to generate that ambience and atmosphere that is so highly desired.

Both the tunnel and single sided versions of this fire put out a whopping 14kW of heat, this is more than enough to heat even some of the larger living spaces and making the tunnel version the perfect way to break up a large open-plan living space and creating an amazing focal point, while providing enough heat energy to heat both sides.

The single sided fire lookg perfect in combination with the Murano surround and natural stone hearth that takes the modern fireplace into a whole new and contemporary level and is a must for any larger contemporary living space!

The Aga Ludlow Stove

Aga are a household name, well known for desirable product ranges and high quality cast iron construction, they keep producing the best products available to enhance their longstanding ranges and most recently have added the Ludlow cast iron stove to the collection.
The Aga Ludlow is now available as the Aga Ludlow Multifuel stove and as the Aga Ludlow Woodburning Smoke Exempt Stove, providing the perfect stove for your needs.
The Aga Ludlow is a stunning example of a solid cast iron stove that generates a tremendous heat output and is suited to traditional and contemporary homes.
Following the outrageous success of the Aga little Wenlock stoves, the Aga Ludlow stove has kept the desirable design appeal of the Aga range, with stylish black wired handle and similar control systems to the Wenlock. An addition to the control system is the tertiary intake air flow control that allows exceptional control of the air wash system. As well as great design, the Aga Ludlow can boast a tremendous 9.7kW maximum heat output, which is hot, hot, hot! The nominal heat output is 6.5kW and the efficiency of the Ludlow is 76%. The Ludlow can also be fueled up and left to burn all night, resulting in a lovely toasty warm room in the morning. As well as the impressive design appeal and even more impressive high heat output and easy, effective controls, the Aga Ludlow includes a removable shaker grate, fire fence, ash pan and front ash tray.
The Aga Ludlow is designed to be used with a class 1 chimney and has a 5inch diameter top flue and is sure to be a product destined for great popularity, so get hold of yours while the stocks last (or wait for the next batch to be made!!).

Guilty Of Wasting Energy!

A recently published report from the Office for National Statistics, 40% of people admit that they have not taken any action to reduce the use of energy in the home. The National EPC Company also claim that many are still turning the other cheek when it comes to doing their part in the effort to stop climate change. I myself can admit to being guilty of this, I leave lights on when i've left the room and leave my TV on standby almost constantly!

The National EPC Company was established in 2007 and currently supplies more that 85,000 Energy Performance Certificates (shown right) each year. The National EPC Company claim that 40% of the UK's carbon dioxide emissions result from choices people make as individuals, with the majority of carbon dioxide coming from the home.
It adds that the Office For National Statistics (ONS) report revealed that 56% of domestic energy is used for space. The Energy Saving Trust has estimated that the average property owner could save up to and over £300 annually on fuel bills by carrying out some of the basic recommendations outlined in the Energy Performance Certificate which shows how efficient a property is, as a building, it is then provided with an A to G rating depending on perfomance. An example of which can be found here.

Even simple measures such as wall insulation, draught excluders and double glazing can create huge reductions in the amount of energy used, the CO2 emissions and, more often than not the most important factor, Money.

As the colder seasons draw closer and more and more people turn on their central heating and crowd aruond the open gas fire for heat, there is another appliance that can be made more efficient and also provide more heat into the room.

By replacing an old, inefficient open gas fire with a high efficiency gas fire then you can prevent the loss of most of the heat up the chimney and also reduce some of the problems of drafts that an open fire can create.

Fires such as the Flavel Caress HE gas fire provide the perfect solution to replacing an aging and in-efficient gas fire, This fire is ideal for a more traditional setting with the cast trim and the traditionl polished and black fret, but don't be fooled by the traditional appearance, this fire uses high-quality and modern technology to provide a 4kW maximum heat output and a very impressive 89% efficiency rating, effectively doubling the efficiency of a normal open fronted gas fire, while retaining the traditional look and feel.

For a more modern approach then something like the Verine Meridian would certainly be the way to go, this modern and contemporary gas fire does away with the traditional trim and fret combination, affording a large viewing window and uniterrupted views of the realistic log fuel effect and dancing flame effect.

This modern fire boasts up to 87% efficiency with will pump out 4kW of heat energy and with the bronze & champagne or all champagne finishes create a very distinctive and european feel to this fire and features the choice of either black, brick or cream firebacks to suit with almost any interior styling.

These are just a couple of the High Efficiency gas fires that available from places such as Fireplace Megastore or Fireworld, they are available in almost any style or size from Hole In The Wall style to gas fire to highly efficient gas stoves.