CONVERTING GAS FIREPLACE WITH ETHANOL FIREPLACE – CASE STUDY

A story of waking up to a non-working gas fireplace and relaxing in the evening by the ethanol fireplace.

The gas fireplace was a pre-existing element of the estate, but we didn’t know how to connect it to a gas bottle.

In only 3 hours, our engineer – Adam Siedlecki removed the gas stove. His aim was to install a new ethanol burner before the evening event that took place the same day. Implementing a new ethanol burner – FLA4+ took us 10 minutes. After installation, we filled it with the Fanola fuel; purchased in Planika Store on Spanish Amazon.

1. Planika – bioethanol fireplaces manufacturer with 20 years of experience

Planika gives a real beautiful fire. Automatic bioethanol fireplaces are fully controlled and produces no smell, ash, or soot. The most important feature – no chimney and no hard connections are required. A patented BEV® (Burning Ethanol Vapours) Technology prevents direct contact between fire and liquid fuel and ensures the products of combustion do not create an excessive carbon footprint.

2. Why the gas fireplace didn’t work?

The gas fireplace didn’t work because of four main issues.

• The gas stove wasn’t connected correctly to a gas bottle.
• The glass panels of the gas fireplace couldn’t be removed and in consequence, they couldn’t be cleaned.
• There was no maintenance service carried out on time.
• The owner of the building didn’t want to use gas, due to safety matters.

3. Challenges of converting gas fireplace to ethanol burner

The problem wasn’t buying an ethanol fireplace, because the Planika dealer delivered it on time.
The real problem was removing the existing gas fire unit. In order to remove the gas stove within only 3 hours, we had to get help from a qualified expert who had all the right tools.
In our case, our chief engineer Adam Siedlecki accompanied us to Marbella. He was responsible for:

• ensuring safety standards,
• safe removal of the gas fireplace without destroying the wall or the stone finishing,
• installing an automatic ethanol fireplace.

4. Before removing a gas fireplace – Safety checklist

• Make sure you can disconnect the gas supply
• Check the technical conditions of the wall in which the fireplace is installed.
• The electrical supply (230V) is essential for the proper functioning of the ethanol burner. This issue however is usually resolved in advance, because the gas fireplace also has to be connected to the electricity.
• Use only a proper type of ethanol fuel as indicated by the manufacturer.

5. Benefits of installing an automatic bioethanol fireplace

Not many people know that converting a gas fireplace with an ethanol fireplace is extremely easy. Usually, dissatisfied gas fireplace owners try to connect their faulty devices to gas and service them. This solution is short-termed and costly.

WHAT ARE THE ADVANTAGES OF AUTOMATIC BIOETHANOL BURNERS?

The automatic fireplaces by Planika use BEV® (Burning Ethanol Vapours) Technology. This prevents direct contact between the fire and a liquid fuel.

The burner provides clean combustion and, with the proper fuel – no odours or harmful by-products. What’s important is that in case of bioethanol fireplaces we can close the chimney. This way, we don’t carry out its annual inspection. When it comes to the showroom villa in Marbella, we didn’t use this solution so we could get rid of excess heat without having to open the windows.

One of the most astonishing features of FLA4+ burner is that a filled fuel tank can provide heat for 36 hours. The FLA4 Net Zero app will inform you when to buy the ethanol fuel. Connecting the bioethanol burner to the SHS module will let you ignite the fire while you sit comfortably by the swimming pool in your garden. Therefore your house will be well-heated right before dinner; even though the start-up of this fire unit takes only 3 minutes!

FLA4+ is an indispensable device on cold evenings as it gives plenty of warmth.

6. Converting the gas fireplace to an ethanol burner
STEP BY STEP PROCESS

1 – MEASURING THE GAS FIREPLACE AND INSPECTING THE BUILDING WALLS

The first step we had to take was measuring the existing gas fireplace in order to prepare the right size of the niche for the bioethanol burner. At the same time, we inspected the conditions of the wall in which the gas stove was installed.

2 – DISCONNECTING THE SOURCE OF ELECTRICITY AND GAS

The next step in the replacement process was turning off the electricity source of the gas fireplace and making sure the gas supply was properly cut off. Avoiding this step could result in uncontrolled gas leakage. It is recommended to get a qualified professional, who is able to supervise the process of gas stove removal.

3 – REMOVING THE GAS FIREPLACE AND ALL HARD CONNECTIONS

Once all the power sources are disconnected, the next step was removing the fireplace and all the elements connected to it. This part was especially time-consuming as the extraction of the fire unit from the wall required precise manual labour.

4 – INSTALLING THE BIOETHANOL FIREPLACE

The last step included connecting the new automatic ethanol insert to the power source and filling it with proper fuel.

7. Results and Improvement – What we gained by converting gas fireplace with an ethanol burner

REPLACING A FIREPLACE IN 3 HOURS
MORNING BY A GAS FIREPLACE – EVENING BY AN ETHANOL BURNER

The new bioethanol fireplace brought solutions to all existing issues and brought several new improvements for the owner of the showroom.

• Lower glass panels are easy to clean. The clean combustion process doesn’t produce any staining by-products such as ash, soot, or smoke, thus making it maintenance-free.
• The specific model of fireplace provides a remote service. The experts from Planika project department can solve any possible problem anytime.
• An easy installation of the bioethanol insert allowed the owner to use the device the same day it arrived.
• Additionally, all of the heat from the ethanol fireplace stays in the room as there is no extra vent needed to use it.

REMEMBER THAT THE CONDITIONS INCLUDED IN THE INSTRUCTIONS MUST BE ENSURED.

8. Costs of installing FLA4+ ethanol burner. Is it worth it?

The net cost of FLA4+ 1190 is circa €7,000. With this fireplace, you gain the comfort of not having to use gas, the reliability of a high-quality device, as well as an instant set-up and shut-off. The highest level of comfort is thanks to remote control and a smartphone app.

Do you have more questions?
Contact Planika experts now at planika@planikafires.com or call us at +48 52 364 11 60 and choose your perfect fireplace.