Designer Fireplaces FAQ’s

Even though every Designer Fireplace is uniquely designed to suit each property owners needs, there are still a few common questions that are asked by many of our clients. Below we have included the most frequently asked ones, but if you have an individual query that is not addressed here please feel free to give us a call on +27 (0)21 855 4606 or contact us via email on [email protected].

Our most frequently asked fireplace questions:

Question: Can I use coal or anthracite in my Designer Fireplace?

Answer: No… This is because all of our Designer Fireplace are specifically built to maximise the heat from a wood fire. Coal and anthracite also have the disadvantage of neither burning as cleanly as wood, or of being part of a natural self-sustaining cycle.

Question: Can I mount a flat screen TV above my Designer Fireplace?

Answer: Yes, but this needs to be kept in mind during the design process as the area above the BioFire should be insulated as required and the radiant heat itself is not damaging to your TV. You cannot however mount a flat screen TV directly onto your Designer Fireplace as the surface is too hot.

Question: Is it true that I don’t have to clean a Designer Fireplace?

Answer: No, you still need to clean a Designer Fireplace, but this only has to happen ONCE A YEAR at the end of the winter season. Due to the high burning temperatures of up to 1.000° only 1% of the woods volume remains in the form of ash.

Question: How do I clean a Designer Fireplace?

Answer: You simply need to scoop out the small amounts of remaining ash from your Designer Fireplace at the end of the winter season. As mentioned above, a Designer Fireplace only needs to be cleaned once a year.

Question: How is a Designer Fireplace built?

Answer: To best answer this question we have included a how to build a Designer Fireplace” section on this website.

Question: Will a Designer Fireplace save me money?

Answer: Yes! A Designer Fireplace utilises its heat in a completely different manner to a conventional fireplace. This means that you get to heat up a larger area of your home for longer while using less wood. This lets you not only save on all energy bills, but because wood is a renewable energy source it is also more ecologically friendly!

Question: How long does it take to build a Designer Fireplace?

Answer: The building time depends on the size and the finishes of the fireplace, with a typical installation taking 4-6 days.

Question: Will there be any dirt when building a Designer Fireplace in an existing home?

Answer: All our fireplace builders are trained professionals. Even if it is not possible to avoid any type of building waste, we will always minimise the amount of interruptions to your lifestyle. To assist with this, all material cutting is performed outside utilising a wet cutting machine that leaves no dust. All the workspaces will be covered up and in case of demolition work protective sheeting will be applied around it. We will also ensure that working area is thoroughly cleaned before the final handover of the job is done.

Question: What areas can be heated with a Designer Fireplace?

Answer: Anything from as small as 30m square up to an area of about 150m square can be heated by one Designer Fireplace. The size of the fireplace will vary accordingly however.

Question: What determines the required heat output of a Designer Fireplace?

Answer: There are many factors that play a part in determining the heat output of your Designer Fireplace. Most importantly is the floor area, but you don’t worry to much about double volume rooms, as radiant heat is not about spreading warm air throughout the room but rather about heat rays heating up the objects that they strike. This means that the warmth from your Designer Fireplace is not going to disappear towards the ceiling. Other factors such as the number of outside walls as well as window size and glazing quality also need to be considered. To add to this we also differentiate between the climatic regions found in the Western Cape and those that are found in the Highveld. To find out what heating requirements are needed in your home or area simply contact us and we will gladly come to your premises and determine what Designer Fireplace best suits your home.