How to Light and Extinguish a Bioethanol Fireplace Safely

Lighting a bioethanol fireplace takes about three minutes and involves five steps. None of them are difficult. One of them — step one — is where nearly every accident with these appliances begins.

Read this once before your first evening. After that it becomes automatic.

What you need

• Bioethanol made for fireplaces, 96–97% purity
• A long lighter or long matches — never a short lighter
• The snuffer tool supplied with your fireplace
• A funnel or pouring spout, if your fuel bottle has no nozzle
• A cloth for spills

Step 1 — Check the burner is completely cold

This is the step that matters more than all the others combined.

If you pour fuel into a burner that is still hot, the liquid vaporises the instant it touches the metal. That vapour can ignite — producing a sudden flare-up that travels back up the pouring stream towards the bottle in your hand.

On a first lighting the burner is cold and this does not apply. It applies every time afterwards.

Wait at least fifteen minutes after extinguishing, and longer if it has been burning for hours. Then touch the metal of the burner with the back of your hand. If it is even slightly warm, wait longer. There is no version of this where hurrying is worth it.

Step 2 — Fill the burner

Pour slowly, directly into the burner reservoir. Fill to the marked level and no further — typically about two thirds of capacity.

Never overfill. Fuel that spills over the edge sits on the outside of the burner, where it will burn outside the intended area.

If you do spill, stop and wipe it up completely before lighting, including any drops on the surface below. Give the vapour a minute to disperse. This is not fussiness — spilled fuel is the second most common cause of incidents.

Close the bottle and put it away, well clear of the fireplace, before you light anything.

Step 3 — Light it

Use a long lighter or long match. Hold the flame just above the surface of the fuel, at the edge of the burner opening, and keep your hand and sleeve above and to the side rather than directly over it.

Ignition may take a few seconds — the fuel needs to produce enough vapour to catch. This is normal. Do not add more fuel because it is slow to light. Wait, and try again with the lighter.

You will notice a brief alcohol smell as it establishes. That is expected, and it passes in seconds.

Step 4 — Let it settle, then adjust

The flame will be small and pale at first, then grow and steady over the following minutes as the burner warms. Give it ten to fifteen minutes before judging it.

Once established, use the slider to set the flame. Fully open gives the largest flame and the most heat, and empties the burner in about three hours. Partially closed gives a lower flame and stretches the same fill to five hours — and on a quiet evening the lower flame is often the nicer one.

Step 5 — Extinguish it

Slide the snuffer tool across the burner opening until it is fully covered. The flame is starved of oxygen and goes out within seconds.

Never use water. Ethanol is lighter than water and floats on it — water spreads burning fuel rather than putting it out. Never blow it out either; that can scatter burning liquid.

You will notice the alcohol note again for a few seconds as the hot burner evaporates the last traces. Normal.

Leave the snuffer in place and let the fireplace cool completely before moving it, cleaning it, or refilling. And keep the snuffer within reach the whole time the fireplace is burning — it is your only means of stopping it quickly.

The rules that apply throughout

• One metre of clearance in every direction, including above the flame
• Stay in the room. Never leave it burning unattended, and never overnight
• Ventilate normally. An ordinary room with a door and a window is enough; a sealed space is not
• Never move it while lit, or while the burner is still hot
• Never add fuel to a burning fireplace — let it burn out or snuff it, then wait for it to cool

If something goes wrong

Fuel has spilled and ignited outside the burner: cover it with the snuffer if you can do so safely. If not, smother it with a fire blanket. Never water. If it is not immediately controlled, leave the room, close the door and call the emergency services.

The flame will not go out with the snuffer: check the snuffer is fully covering the opening. If fuel has spilled outside the burner, the snuffer will not reach it — use a fire blanket.

It smells strongly while burning: almost always the fuel. Below 96% purity, or methylated spirits, combustion is incomplete and produces odour. See why it smells and what is normal.

A fire blanket costs very little and belongs in any home with an open flame. If you use a fireplace regularly, buy one.

Before the first time

Read your fireplace's own instructions — burner capacity and fill levels vary by model — and our full safety guide, which covers ventilation, children and pets, and carbon monoxide.

Every Hofeu fireplace ships with its snuffer tool. If you have not chosen yet, the range is here, and this guide explains how they work.