Certain types of fireplaces can need electricity as the main source of power, such as electric fireplaces, while others, such as pellet stoves, may need an electrical supply in order to help the fireplace generate heat. Many other types of fireplaces don’t need any electricity supply at all.
While electricity isn’t the main source of power for heat in a bioethanol fireplace, electricity may also be required to help the fireplace perform many of its functions.
Whether a bioethanol fireplace needs an electrical supply or not can depend on its type.
Manual types of bioethanol fireplace don’t typically need electricity, but automatic forms of bioethanol fireplace will typically need an electrical supply. This can be in the form of a power cord and plug or direct wiring and is required to perform the automated functions.
Our own bioethanol fireplace is the manual type and so doesn’t need an electrical supply to work.
However, if you’re looking to get an automatic model of bioethanol fireplace then you may need to consider how the fireplace will be powered and where the electricity supply can come from.
We discuss more about bioethanol fireplaces and their requirements for an electricity supply in more detail below.
Do Bioethanol Fireplaces Need Electricity?
The type of bioethanol fireplace will typically determine whether it needs electricity or not.
While bioethanol fireplaces can come different forms such as freestanding, wall mounted etc. (more about the forms of bioethanol fireplaces here), they can also come in two different types:
- Manual bioethanol fireplaces
- Automatic bioethanol fireplaces
Manual bioethanol fireplaces need to be manually operated.
This includes refuelling, lighting and putting the fire out.
The same functions on an automatic bioethanol fireplace doesn’t need to be manually undertaken but instead are performed with electronic assistance from the fireplace. These functions however still need to be manually inputted using the accompanying controls.
An automatic bioethanol fireplace will require electricity in order to work, in the form of an electrical supply using a power cord.
Manual bioethanol fireplaces don’t have any electrical components and so typically won’t need an electricity supply.
Manual Bioethanol Fireplaces Don’t Need Electricity
Manual bioethanol fireplaces need to be manually operated and therefore typically don’t need an electricity supply.
When using a manual type, you therefore don’t need to worry about using one near an electrical outlet or wiring it directly into the electrics.
For example, our own bioethanol fireplace is the manual type and doesn’t need electricity. We need to manually perform all the functions including refuelling, lighting and extinguishing.
To refuel, we simply pour more fuel into the fuel box of the fireplace.
See our main article on bioethanol fireplace fuel for more information.
To light a fire, we take a fire starter such as a long match to light the fuel from directly within the fireplace.
Our main article on how to light a bioethanol fireplace provides a video demonstration on lighting.
To put out a fire in our manual bioethanol fireplace we simply use our accompanying closing tool to shut the lid on the fireplace.
There are no mechanical or electrical components in our fireplace and so no electrical supply is required. The fireplace simply consists of a fuel box that sits inside the main fireplace unit.
The fuel box is where the bioethanol fuel is stored.
Most standard bioethanol fireplaces are the manual type and so you won’t typically need to worry about providing electrical power.
However, with automatic models, which are typically more expensive than manual types as they contain more components and can be more complex, you’ll need to think about how you’ll supply one with electricity.
Automatic Bioethanol Fireplaces Need Electricity
Automatic bioethanol fireplaces work differently compared to manual types in that they contain a range of electrical components providing assistance to the main functions.
This electronic assistance can include:
- Automatic refuelling of the fireplace using a pump to transfer fuel from the bottle of bioethanol.
- Electronic ignition to start the fire.
- Automatic adjustment of the flame height, typically with several level settings.
- Extinguishing the fire at the touch of a button.
Automatic models will typically have a control panel with buttons and/or switches on the fireplace itself to allow you to manage the settings, but some models may also come with remote control or even be usable via a mobile app.
The video below highlights how automatic bioethanol fireplaces work and how they compare to manual versions.
Expect to need to plug an automatic bioethanol fireplace into a nearby electrical outlet, or wire it directly into the electrics, depending on the model of fireplace.
Further Reading
How Bioethanol Fireplaces Work