Does it smell or doesn't it smell - that is the question
No flue gas outlet is required for a bioethanol fireplace. It also does not have to be a completely closed system. But what about the smell of bioethanol when burned?
Types of bioethanol
Bioethanol comes in various types. It is made from e.g. corn or wheat. And depending on the process used to make bioethanol, it is +/- 96% pure, or as good as 100% pure. The 96% pure variant still contains some water. In addition, the bio-ethanol is contaminated with a substance that makes it non-drinkable - otherwise it would be pure alcohol (because that is what ethanol is), and the government would raise high excise duties (which greatly increased the costs). These differences (raw materials and process) ensure that the scent of various variants is also different - some variants smell, others don't.
And what if I do want scent?
Bioethanol is basically odorless. But what if you want to add fragrance? Ao Kratki has fragrance ethanol for this, with the following scents:
- Forest scent
- Green tea scent
- Apple and cinnamon scent
- Coffee scent
- Lavender scent
- Rose scent
- Sea scent
- Vanilla scent
You can burn this bio-ethanol directly in a decorative fire, but depending on your personal taste it can also be mixed with "normal" (odorless) bio-ethanol - the odor is therefore less strongly present.
Experiences
Experiences with various types of bioethanol are very different. Some do not smell at all, others give a bit of "hospital scent" and others give very strong, unpleasant scent. Some of our experiences:
- Höfer Chemi 96.6%: odorless
- BioFair 100%: slight hospital scent
- FarmLight> 95%: very strong, unpleasant scent (only use outside as far as we are concerned)
- Kratki fragrance bioethanol, various scents: pleasant scent (in our opinion undiluted too strong, so mix with odorless bio-ethanol)
What is your experience? Let us know!
