Contemporary Fireplace Ideas

comparison chart: Gas, Electric and Gel fueled fireplaces

fireman — Sat, 29 Jan 2011 12:07:34 +0000

	Wood (vented)	Gas (vented)	Gas (ventless)	Electric ( ventless)	Ventless Gel
Cost	$3,000- $10,000 Installed	$3,500 - $7,500 Installed	$1,000 - $6,000 Installed	$50 - $1,500	$200 – $1400 Complete!
Burn Time	2-3 hours using 3-4 logs. Requires frequent tending	Forever (unless your gas company shuts off your supply)	Forever (unless supply is shut off or you die from inhaling fumes)	No Burn	2-3 Hours No fire tending required!
Maintenance	High Carrying logs, tending fire, ash removal, chimney cleaning.	Moderate Requires professional installation and yearly maintenance Chimney cleaning.	Moderate Requires professional installation and yearly maintenance.	Low Can require professional installation and maintenance	No Maintenance No installation! No chimney cleaning!
Effect	Good Nice flame, natural crackle	Fair Nice flame, no crackle	Fair Nice flame, no crackle	Poor No real flame, no crackle	Good Nice flame! Natural crackle!
Risk	Moderate - High Hot embers, tending hot fire, clogged chimney	Moderate Potential clogged gas jets, clogged chimney	Extremely High Toxic fumes, oxygen depletion, excessive moisture, clogged gas jets.	Low Slight risk of electric shock.	Low More safe in your home than a burning candle!
Heat	High Good heat as long as you tend the fire	High Good heat, but chimney reduces effeciency	High Good heat, but not worth the risk	Low Poor heat, low effeciency	Moderate Decent heat, 95% effecient.

100 WAYS TO GREEN THE EARTH

fireman — Wed, 24 Mar 2010 13:14:54 +0000

New England’s Holistic Magazine

Recycle, recycle, recycle
Avoid disposable plates, cups and utensils
Use rags instead of paper towels
Use the back of discarded paper for scratch paper
Use water from cooking vegetables to make soup
Purchase goods in reusable or recyclable containers
Compost your food scraps
Use non-toxic pest control
Volunteer in a community garden
Grow your own food
Eat less meat or no meat
Support food co-ops and farmer’s markets
Buy as much as possible from local merchants
Volunteer to maintain a local park
Plant trees
Use non-toxic biodegradable soaps and detergents
Turn off the water when you brush your teeth and shave
Weatherproof your home
Hang your clothes out to dry
Don’t burn green wood
Turn off lights
Turn down your water heater
Lower our thermostat
Don’t heat or cool empty rooms
Take shorter showers
Buy energy efficient appliances
Buy an LCD rather than plasma TV
Use rechargeable batteries
Conserve gas – walk, ride a bike or carpool
Support local credit unions
Sponsor a clothes swap
Decrease TV watching
Buy 100% recycled paper
Put your PC to sleep
Use refilled ink cartridges or soy ink
Use laptops – they use 90% less energy
Recycle electronics at Earth911org.
Use a rain barrel
Use mulch and ground cover to reduce water evaporation and hinder weed growth
Water in the early morning
Grow native plants to help wildlife
Provide water for wildlife
Build bird and bat houses
Use mosquito barrier made from garlic extract
Use bug repellants containing oil of lemon eucalyptus
Get a rechargeable battery mower or manual push mower
Mow high with sharp blades
Leave grass clippings on the lawn
Unplug ghost appliances like cell phone chargers
Use the microwave instead of the oven
Switch to CFL light bulbs
Wash clothes in cold water
Get a low flow shower head
Clean the air conditioner and replace filters
Lower shades in the daytime
Clean refrigerator coils
Install a ceiling fan
Use aerators on faucets
Install a programmable thermostat
Insulate your water heater and hot water pipes
Driving at 55 mph instead of 70 mph can save you 23% in fuel efficiency
Keep your tires inflated
Take your next vacation on the train
Buy items in bulk and portion them into reusable containers
Buy detergent in concentrated form to cut down on packaging and increase product
Check packaging codes before you buy to make sure they are recyclable
Switch to e-billing and go paperless
Get a radon and carbon monoxide detector
Reduce your exposure to phthalates which are in #3 plastics, PVC plastics, and beauty products
Avoid commercial air fresheners
Don’t let your car idle
Invest in a good reusable water bottle
Pick up trash at the beach
Look for fishing weights made from bismuth, steel, ceramic and tungsten and avoid lead weights which can harm wildlife
Choose hair stylists who use products that are free of known hazardous chemicals, particularly phthalates, parabens, coal tar and sodium lauryl sulfates
Pick a day to leave the car at home all day
Coordinate errands into combined trips
Stay at green hotels using greenhotels.com
Remember to bring your own reusable grocery bags to the store
Use your local library
Get off junk mailing lists
Switch to fair trade coffee
Look for “green” nail polish
Get a home energy audit
Invest in a new LCD monitor for your computer
Check out free cycling at freecycling.org
Use low VOC paint
Make a root cellar
Make a sewing kit for your purse from an empty prescription bottle
Go in and skip the drive-through
Buy green school supplies
Fix leaky faucets
Use a slow cooker
If you take out, don’t get more condiment packages than you plan to use
Buy potted plants instead of cut flowers
Use less shampoo
Bring a refillable cup for your morning coffee
Pass along items you no longer need
Shade your AC unit by planting a tree or installing an awning over the window
Teach children to be green by your example

“How to design and build your own fireplace…”

fireman — Thu, 18 Feb 2010 20:44:43 +0000

Have you ever spent a fun evening in a friend’s house with well decorated basement or patio, sitting near the warm glow of their Contemporary Bio-Ethanol Fireplace and talking about new and innovative ideas of making your home more attractive and ecologically clean? I have and it made me want to be able to experience this in my own home. I can’t say this enough but designing your own Ventless Bio Fireplace is really rather easy and it’s quite fun too. You get the fireplace experience without the mess, the fumes or the sparks and you don’t have to build a chimney or a hearth.I love to get involved in home improvement projects and I started my project from buying 2 inexpensive Bio-Ethanol burners I found on the website www.contemporaryfireplaceideas.com. On the same website I found a very interesting article:”Empty Fireplace Ideas”. The Bio-Ethanol burner is designed to be placed inside a home fireplace. The Burner burns Bio-Ethanol fuel, a readily available fuel made from easily renewable resources that emits nothing harmful into the atmosphere. Bio Ethanol is a 100% natural, and finely distilled. With the next day shipment as promised, it took me just 5 minutes to put the first burner into existing non-functional fireplace on the first floor in my house converting an old and empty fireplace into a functional Bio-Ethanol eco friendly Fireplace. Then I close the leads from the chimney because 2/3 of the heat goes away through the leads. The second burner I decided to use in Basement. I bought in Home Depot ready-made pre-measured precut fireplace kit that allows you to follow pretty simple instructions to fit the pieces together and construct your own indoor or outdoor Bio Fireplace. If you are worried a Bio Fireplace from a kit won’t look as nice, no need to worry. They look just as beautiful as one that is professionally constructed. The kit serves as the base, the surface can then be decorated with natural stones, brick or other materials to make it unique and original. I used brick and got the exact look of fireplace I want with unforgettable impression from beautiful and heart breaking dancing flame with a heat output coefficient of 100%. That’s why contemporary Bio-Ethanol Fireplaces have become so popular. They provide such a nice look and feel to your home, plus they make the space more usable. Contemporary Bio Fireplaces also provide a great place for entertaining, you’re sure to get a lot of positive comments from you guests as I do. The sky’s the Limit! There is no end of possibilities with this innovative product. You can have fire virtually anywhere your imagination can take you.

Test

admin — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 13:03:12 +0000

What is included with the fireplace:

Empty Fireplace Ideas

admin — Thu, 26 Nov 2009 09:44:03 +0000

Do you have a non-functional empty fireplace in your home and are looking for ideas to make it more stylish, inviting, and functional? Would you like to turn your empty fireplace into a real fireplace with no installation and no chimney required? Our Bio Fireplace Insert is one of the best empty fireplace ideas that would help you enjoy the comfort of a real fireplace with no fuss of a fireplace conversion and no installation expenses.

Placement of a Bio Fireplace Insert within an existing non-functional and wood burning fireplace is an easy option to convert an empty fireplace into a functional Bio Fireplace. There is no installation except for placing it inside your existing fireplace. Smoke moving back into the room is a disadvantage in most of the traditional fireplaces, causing unpleasant smell, and in extreme cases leading to intoxication. Using a Bio Fireplace Insert allows you to enjoy a real fire in your original fireplace, but is free of ash and the need to clean the fireplace and the chimney.

Even if your chimney still works, you can eliminate all the mess and fuss associated with burning real wood. The ethanol burns clean, free of smoke and fumes eliminating the need for standard exterior venting. You will also protect the environment by using a clean burning Bio Fireplace Insert while enjoying real flame.

Of all the empty fireplace ideas and options you might have for converting a non-functional fireplace into a real fireplace, using a Bio Fireplace Insert is the most economical and requires the least amount of efforts.

A revolutionary Bio Ethanol Insert can act as a stand-alone ethanol hearth as well, or be combined with one of the stylish contemporary fireplace surround models.

The ethanol fuel in Bio Ethanol Inserts burns for 2 to 4 hours depending of a humidity level in your home. The insert does not have to be burned for the complete cycle. With a manual shut-off feature you can control how long you want to have a fire and re-light the fireplace at your convenience. You can even put a Bio Fireplace Insert outside and enjoy the atmosphere of a real eco friendly fire until the early hours. Our fireplace inserts are virtually maintenance free and require a simple wipe down with a damp cloth every 3 to 4 months.

You can use Inserts with or without ceramic logs. And because the logs are all loose, you have the freedom to arrange the logs to suit your own personal taste. The realistic looking fire logs are made out of steel reinforced ceramic and are fireproof so they will not burn. The logs are hand painted for a realistic effect.

This enables you to create a great bio fireplace that would fits in nicely with the rest of your décor. And not only bio hearths friendly to the environment, they also produce a great flame pattern. You instantly add charm and romantic atmosphere to any room in your house. And although they are not designed to serve as primary heaters, bio ethanol fireplaces are perfect for adding some extra warmth to your home as well. Make your fireplace bio friendly with a great contemporary Bio Fireplace Insert and enjoy all of the convenience that a Bio Ethanol Fireplace has to offer.

With a Bio Fireplace Insert your whole family can start enjoying warmth and comfort of a real fireplace in a matter of days. Simply place it in your empty fireplace, add ethanol fuel according to instructions and light it up.

Best of all, our Bio Fireplace Inserts are very affordable. They also make a great present. You can find them in stock in our online store.