PowerSwitch

Have a look here: http://ecograte.ie

Any thoughts? I have a medium-sized insulated room with an 18"x28" open fire. The testimonials seem genuine. The showroom is only 35 minutes' drive away so I could see one in action.

I think a closed stove with a flat top will be better.

Their website has the common mistake of stating a CO2 alarm is required. They do go on to say a CO alarm, but it’s a crass mistake and makes me question how many other alternative facts are being promoted.

I agree with wood burner. A fireplace is only about ten percent efficient and what they are doing here (nothing new by the way) just gets it up to perhaps twenty percent.
There are many better options.

Presuming that the device works as is claimed, then I see SOME merit in it, but as others have said, a solid fuel stove would be more efficient.
What happens in a power cut ? would the appliance be liable to overheating and damage without air flow ?
In case of TEOTWAWKI, an open fire has the merits of simplicity, wider fuel choice, and being useful for other purposes.
My ideal home would have a closed stove in the main living room AND an open fire in another room.

Here's a similar approach without a fan, no ok in a power cut, adam2.

Rather than pay that price (with the danger of customs intercepting it and bumping the cost up even further) I could get a local metal worker to make one up as an experiment, custom-fitted. The concept is simple enough.

As others have said why bother with a marginal upgrade in efficiency when you can put in a closed stove and obtain a major increase in efficiency. It may cost a little more to put in a closed stove over one of these open fires but the increase in comfort from a closed stove would be well worth the cost and the savings in your carbon footprint would be marked rather than marginal.

In our case, we have a central wood stove that heats the water and radiators but we have one room with a small open fire, a room great for relaxing in. We want to keep that open flame thing (we don't use it often) for the aroma, ambiance etc.

Thus getting an extra 20% or so heat for little outlay and effort would be worth it.

You have to understand: every household has different requirements and it's possible others would like this set-up if they lived here. I do appreciate and take note of the concerns and input, thanks.

If the main heating is by a by a closed stove, with a less used open fire in addition, then I agree that keeping the open fire is a reasonable choice.

Whilst a stove is more efficient, this is of relatively low importance if the open fire is little used.

An open fire is useful for emergency cooking, a small but hot fire of twigs and small wood will fry a cooked breakfast and boil a kettle before a stove is properly warmed up.

VERY CRUDE and small scale blacksmith's work can be done with an open fire, as can heating a soldering iron.
In an emergency, infected medical waste may be burnt on an open fire, but not so well in a closed stove.
Real coal may also be used on an open fire but can be dangerous in a closed stove.
Most of us probably try to avoid coal on account of the carbon emissions, but being able to burn coal in an emergency is handy.
With some trouble and ingenuity, modest volumes of waste oil can be burnt on an open fire, but not in a stove.

Aroma = generally unhealthy part pyrolised hydrocarbons.

Ambience = probably more draughts than you need.

A small wood stove with a glass door will give plenty of ambience, and allow you to cook on it when th main services fail. Getting an extra 20% from an ecograte does not sound like much for your money, and if the heat is being taken from the combustion area it will demolish the efficiency.

Thanks for your input everyone.

woodburner wrote:Aroma = generally unhealthy part pyrolised hydrocarbons.

Ambience = probably more draughts than you need.

A small wood stove with a glass door will give plenty of ambience, and allow you to cook on it when th main services fail. Getting an extra 20% from an ecograte does not sound like much for your money, and if the heat is being taken from the combustion area it will demolish the efficiency.

In this case I must agree with Woodburner.

You can always use a wood burning stove with the door open if you wish and then you can close it up easily to stop warmth from the house disappearing up the chimney when it's not in use.