What is the best fireplace for my home? In these cold months when we spend more time at home, you may have considered install a fireplace at home. It may seem like a luxury. However, the wide variety of possibilities means that today having one is within your reach.
There are many types of fireplaces and not all are suitable for all spaces. Before choosing the type of fireplace you want for your home, it is important to ask yourself some questions in order to make the best decision. Do you have an independent smoke outlet? Are you willing to do works to install the fireplace? What kind of heat source will it be? What fuel do you prefer to use? These are just some of the preliminary considerations to take into account.
Primary or secondary heat source
How are you going to use the fireplace? Are you going to use it as main heat source? If the fireplace is going to be the only element that provides heat to the room, considering the climatic conditions of the place and calculating the cubic volume that must be heated will be essential to choose the most suitable fireplace. It will also be useful to reflect on the type of fuel, the capacity to store it and the maintenance of the fireplace itself, as we will see later in this article.
Do we mean by this that when the fireplace is to be used as secondary heat source or in a timely manner these issues should not be considered? Of course, they will have to be considered but their weight will be less.
Space to heat
El calculation of thermal power necessary to heat the home is key to choosing the right fireplace. Trusting an expert who can personalize our case, adapting to our needs and the characteristics of our house is ideal, but we can all do our own calculation beforehand as a guide.
To calculate the necessary thermal power, you will need to take into account both the variable of the space to be heated and the level of insulation of the house in which it is to be installed. The space to heat It is indicated in cubic meters and is calculated by multiplying the length, width and height of the space. Once done, these cubic meters will have to be multiplied by a coefficient that depends on both the area in which your home is located and its level of insulation, obtaining the result in kilowatts.
As a general rule, a medium-sized home will need a power of one kilowatt for every 10 square meters. Taking this as a standard, more or less power will be needed depending on the parameters that we have mentioned above and the fuel type.
Smoke outlet
Today it is possible to install a fireplace in any home, but not every type of fireplace can be technically installed in any home. For some models it is necessary to create an independent smoke outlet, something that is not always possible in a neighborhood community.
- Wood and gas fireplaces generally need a independent smoke outlet through the roof, something that in a community of neighbors is only possible on the top floors, under cover and with the requirement that there be an air chamber in the middle. Gas fireplaces also need a vent to the outside, but it doesn't have to be on the roof it also serves through the facade. Complying with the regulations for chimneys and having the consent of the community of neighbors will be essential in both cases.
- For those who have no possibility of doing no smoke outlet Independently there is the possibility of installing a bioethanol fireplace, which does not need any type of infrastructure, or an electric fireplace.
The fuel
Currently there are chimneys capable of adapt to different needs, being one of the decisive factors for this the fuel. The fuel not only determines the type of installation necessary to place the fireplace as we have already told you, it also influences the thermal efficiency and the greater or lesser need for its maintenance.
- Fireplace: They continue to represent the most popular option, despite being one of the most expensive to install. They generate a lot of heat but are more polluting than other options. Maintenance work is essential, since the waste they generate can be harmful to our health. In addition, they require allocating a generous space to store the firewood.
- Pellet fireplace: They work with a biodegradable and ecological fuel so they are an environmentally friendly option. They generate a lot of heat, are highly efficient and leave little waste. Do you want to know more about them? We told you everything a few weeks ago.
- Gas fireplace: They work with natural gas, butane or propane. They use a pilot flame, following the same operation as traditional kitchen stoves. They heat up quickly but do not retain heat once turned off. The advantage of this type of fireplace compared to wood fireplaces is that it hardly generates waste. The counterpart is its price, which is considerably higher.
- Bioethanol fireplace: They are the friendly option with the environment; bioethanol is a fuel obtained from fermenting materials rich in carbohydrates. They do not generate smoke and emit between 40% and 80% less greenhouse gases than gas fireplaces. Their energy efficiency is 100%, that is, all the heat they generate stays in the room, however they give off less heat than the previous ones.
- Electric fireplace. It does not require works. It is an economical option that only needs to be connected to the power to work.
maintenance
How much time are you willing to dedicate to maintaining the fireplace? To enjoy the warmth of the wood burning fireplace it is necessary to clean it properly and remove the soot that gives rise to creosote, a highly combustible substance. That is why it is essential to clean it thoroughly once a year at the end of the season of use and perform maintenance once a week during the winter.
In general, all chimneys that require external ventilation ducts will need an annual cleaning in order to detect any residue that may cause a problem. This is not the case in bioethanol fireplaces.