Bioethanol Room Sizing & Ventilation
Bioethanol Room Sizing & Ventilation
First, it's important to remember that biofires are never intended to be used as the main source of heating in any home and you must consider the room size when choosing a bioethanol fireplace. CO2 production from the fire can affect air quality, potentially causing discomfort. Therefore the following guide lines need to be taken into consideration before purchase.
Air Quality
It is not the use of oxygen that diminishes the air quality in the room, but rather the increased production of CO2 from the open fire. Carbon dioxide (CO2) is a molecule that naturally is in the air, but it is also created by plants, animals, humans, and - of course - from all combustions such as bioethanol.
In addition to creating CO2, only heat and slightly evaporated water are created during the burning of the bioethanol fuel.
Which fireplace is right for me
If you choose an oversized bio fireplace for a small room you will find that the quality of the air drops, which can cause headaches and discomfort.
To find out which fireplace will fit into your room, you can look at how much oxygen a bioethanol fire uses and how much CO2Â an ethanol fire makes.
Example;
Two people deduces approx. 75 g CO2Â pr. hour.
A biofuel fireplace that burns 0,5 litre bio ethanol fuel in an hour deduces 740 g CO2.
The air contains an average of 21% oxygen. This means that in a room of 40 m² with a ceiling height of 2.5 metres (100 m3) there is 27 kg of oxygen.
Two adults uses approximately 55 g oxygen pr. hour.
A bioethanol fire which burns 0.5 litre bioethanol in one hour uses 800 g oxygen.
Therefore it is suggested by the manufacturers that in a room of approx. 80 m3 to use a bio fireplace with a consumption of 0.5 litre bioethanol or less pr. hour.
Room Size and Bioethanol Burner
In this graph you can see what is recommended as the minimum room size for different burners calculated based on bioethanol consumption of bioethanol pr. hour.
In the graph two of our most popular bioethanol burners have been used as an example:
- 1.5 liter Deluxe burner
- 5.0 liter Superior burner
The two burners use approx. 0.375 and 0.714 litres of bioethanol fuel pr. hour and requires a space of approx 60 m3Â and 114 m3. Both burners are adjustable, and if the room size is just below the recommended, you can choose to use the fireplace with a downgraded flame.
To calculate the volume of your space, use the following form and multiply spaces: Length x Width x Height = Volume (m3).
X indicates the consumption of bioethanol fuel pr. hour
Y indicates the room size in cubic meters
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Keeping the room well ventilated
Replacement of air helps compensate for both CO2Â emissions and oxygen consumption.
To keep the air quality in the room as high as possible during operation of the bioethanol fire, we advise keeping the room well ventilated, by opening doors to other rooms and/or opening a window.