Electric Fires

January 11th, 2010

When seeking to create a focal point for a sitting room, electric fires can prove to be a very useful, and convenient, alternative to gas or solid fuel fires. Unlike a traditional fireplace, an electric fire does not distribute messy soot and ash on the floor or grate, and they do not require fitting up to a gas supply by a qualified tradesman, as in the case of a gas fire. Although electric fires are lacking in real flames, which provide comfort and warmth, there are many different styles of electric fire to suit both contemporary and traditional homes, including those with a realistic flame effect.

electric-fireThe biggest convenience of an electric fire is that you simply plug in to use – avoiding all the hassles associated with the solid fuel or gas fire. Ash and embers from a real fire literally get everywhere, and this can be very annoying. Also, electric fires do seem to require less maintenance than gas and solid fuel fires – no more having to pay someone to clean the chimney or regularly service the fire. Perhaps the greatest thing is that, although electric fires were traditionally convenient but did not ‘look the part’, this has completely changed today. Modern technology has ensured that those electric fires with flame effects look as realistic and inviting as a real fire.

Regarding the impact on the environment, fires powered by electricity are very energy efficient, thus wasting little heat. As already ascertained, electric fires cost, in general, around 14p per hour on maximum settings, and this means it only costs around £20 per month to use it for four hours every night. Compared with the cost of maintaining and running a solid fuel or gas fire, this is the cheaper option by far.

Electric fires really are easy to install and simple to run, and also very good value – if you want the warm glow associated with a real fire in your room, just turn on the glowing coals on your fire. These can be used with or without the electric heating element or heater, thus meaning that you can have the cosy look without having to use fuel. There is little risk with the electric fire – for example, there is no risk of carbon monoxide poisoning. All in all, electric fires require no regular servicing for their operation, reduce costs and increase convenience.

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No Chimney Required

December 10th, 2009

One of the growing trends in home decor is the  gas fire, which can come with or without a flue.  In general terms, a fire that comes with a flue needs a chimney for the venting of any dangerous gases that build up during combustion. Ashlea lights Marble Fireplaces

Conventional gas fires are open-fronted fireplace and inset into a standard sized chimney. The fire draws air from inside your living room to create the flames and the by-product gases escape up the chimney.  Of course, these fires look good but they’re not very good for the air quality in your home because the fire is constantly ’stealing’ air to keep on burning.

Flueless gas fires, on the other hand, are, as the name sugggests, designed to work without any flue at all.  Generally they use catalytic converters to convert the noxious gases into harmless vapour, which is then allowed into the room.

Balanced flue gas fires use an system allows the products of burning to pass out through the wall directly behind the fire while at the same time drawing in the air needed for combustion via the same route.  This type of fire is usually glass fronted and the appliance is completely sealed off from the room.

Power flue gas fires transport combustion products to the outside of the house by means of a fan at the rear of the appliance.

If you want to buy a new fire but are unsure about what type of chimney you have (if any), the quick rule of thumb is that homes built before the late 1960’s tend to have what is  chimney_typesknown as a Class 1 chimney, which is the typical brick built chimney.  Homes built after that time could have a Class 2 flue or a Class 2 pre-cast flue. The pictures should help you decide exactly what chimney you have but it is vital that you are certain what type of chimney you have before choosing your gas fire.

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Your Fireplace and Your Pets

November 5th, 2009

What with it being 5th November and firework night, pet safety is very much to the fore; you know the stuff: keep animals indoors, draw the curtains and take your dog out for his evening walk before the action starts.  This got me to thinking about keeping pets safe from solid-fuel fires.  We’ve all seen the cosy images of dogs and cats snuggled up on a cosy rug in front of a roaring log fire but what is the reality of the situation?

cosy-open-fireplaceAdditionally, the experience of a friend of mine who, sitting in her local vets recently, overheard numerous telephone calls from worried pet owners enquiring about the dangers of an open fireplace to their pet, made me think I hadn’t given this subject enough thought (actually, I hadn’t given it any thought at all).

So here’s the lowdown:

Just as with humans, unless they are ill or infirm, all animals will move away from fires if  it gets too hot or the air quality is poor. Some animals, usually the ones we love the most, are just plain stupid and, because they love the warmth so much, will edge much too close to the source heat.

It makes sense then that, if you have a dumb animal in your life, you use a firescreen.  Then you can all enjoy the cosiness that comes with a real fire!

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Chimneys and Chimney Sweeps

October 30th, 2009

A whole article about chimneys?  Yes, why not, there’s a lot to talk about… and a lot to learn.  Did you know for instance that, in the UK, there is a National Association of Chimney Sweeps (NACS)?

chimneysweepIn its 27th year now, the NACS was set up to promote high standards for the sweeping, inspection and maintenance of chimneys and it is the UK national trade association for sweeps, representing over 250 of them. Forgot those images of  young sweeps, just small boys,  being sent scuttling up chimneys by the fire lit beneath them, today new members of the NACS undertake compulsory training and on-site assessment.

They are also checked, prior to enrolment, for public liability insurance and to ensure they have all the necessary tools and equipment to ensure the public is well protected by the services of a professional sweep.

Given that sweeping chimneys is such an ancient profession, you might be surprised by the modern equipment many sweeps carry, including smoke generator machines and CCTV cameras to help them assess chimneys and diagnose any faults.

If you have a solid fuel fire, the NACS recommend that you have your chimney swept at least once a year; this, they say, is because all appliances, whatever fuel they burn, be that coal, wood, oil or gas, need to be able to ‘breathe’ in and out. It is for this reason that current Building Regulations, Document J, stipulates that suitable access is provided for the cleaning and inspection of flues – so you must ensure that soot doors and cleaning plates on flue pipes are incorporated into any newbuild fireplace.

As much as a chimney sweep does for the care and maintenance of your fireplace chimney, he also does far more.

Chimney sweeps double as in-home fire prevention specialists. While they are busy scrubbing away at the crud in your chimney, they are feverishly searching for any unsafe condition that can lead to a chimney fire, or unhealthy or fatal air quality. In truth, chimney sweeps don’ t just clean your chimney; they can also save your life.

With this in mind, you could do a lot worse than select your sweep from the register of the NACS and, to help you do so, they provide a useful county list of registered chimney sweeps.

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