Design differences
Manual ethanol burner
This is simply a box. There is no separation between the burner and the reservoir, so all the combustible, several liters of alcohol is being used. This results in the heat emitted is very high and spreads everywhere.
AFIRE electronic insert
On the other hand, with an electronic insert, the reservoir and the burner are separated. The burner is constantly fed by a pump. It is smaller in size and is isolated from the body of the device. The insert is therefore cold and the burner only contains a few centiliters of ethanol being burned. Therefore, electronic fireplaces can be installed in any sort of housing.
Operational Safety
The use of fire must absolutely be safe. The many detectors in an AFIRE electronic combustion block will automatically stop the flames if an anomaly occurs during operation. These sensors also prevent the device from starting if any of the safety conditions are not met. Heat detectors, CO² detectors, combustion block and reservoir level gauges, seismic and tipping detectors, reservoir door contact and automatic locking, etc. Electronic security over all levels of the device’s operation.
In a manual combustion block, there are none of these safety features.
Refilling the reservoir and gauge
The most common accidents with this type of device occur when refilling a hot reservoir or one that isn’t entire extinguished. Indeed, if the device stops because it is out of fuel and if you still want to keep using it, you will need to refill the reservoir. This moment is critical because you must be absolutely sure that the fire is completely extinguished and that the burner is cold.
With a manual fireplace, there is no security. Refilling is the main source of accidents, which can be serious.
With an AFIRE electronic device:
The burner and the reservoir are separate, so the reservoir is always cold even during combustion. Therefore, you never directly refill a hot part of the device, but a cold reservoir which is distinct from the burner. Also, the reservoir valve is automatically locked if the burner is too hot or if it is working, so there is no risk.
Purely mechanical devices cannot feature a gauge. However, AFIRE electronic devices are equipped with a level probe. An audible and visible alarm warns the user when the reservoir is full, therefore preventing spilling the combustible. It also indicates when the reservoir is empty.
Clean burning and adjusting the flame
While it is more technical and more difficult to understand for beginners, this notion of clean combustion is still essential. All specialists agree that proper combustion is complete combustion. This means that it transforms its combustible into heat while emitting the least waste as possible. It should be specified that this residue can be dangerous, such as carbon monoxide.
In an electronic device, the burner is small and well aerated. It is permanently fed with a pump. The gas/air mixture is therefore ideal and combustion has ideal output.
In a manual mechanical combustion block, the reservoir and the burner are the same thing, so the lower the level of ethanol, the more difficult it is for oxygen to reach and mix with the gas. This results in unclean burning, creating dangerous gas and soot.
AFIRE devices are not equipped with flame adjusting valves which prevent access to air. All professionals in the heating and fireplace industry acknowledge that this would be the worst solution. By reducing the combustion of oxygen to reduce the flame, this produces unburnt materials such as soot (carbon) and also the very dangerous carbon monoxide (CO).
Lighting and extinguishing
To light a manual fire, you need to bring your hand near the fire, and this is the only way to do it. You need to use a match or a long lighter. If the burner is hot, gas is produced in abundance. When lighting, a flash will occur that will be larger or smaller depending on how hot the combustible is. This detonation will at least result in a reflex of surprise or fear, and can also lead to accidents.
With an electronic ethanol fireplace, lighting is done automatically, by simply pressing a button. There is no need to bring your hand near the flame. Also, this means you’re only lighting a few centiliters of the combustible injected by the pump and not the entire quantity of ethanol like in a manual reservoir burner.
Why is there no odor with electronic ethanol burners, unlike in manual inserts?
In a manual combustion block, the combustible itself is heated (often several liters of it), so inevitably, odors will be emitted due to the aromatic components present in all alcohols. With regard to electronic devices, there is no odor at all. Indeed, the reservoir is cold and sealed, and furthermore, only a few centiliters of the injected alcohol are burned immediately.
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